Parallels
by Electra126
Summary: Post Chosen. Willow sends Buffy and Faith to a parallel dimension to retrieve an artifact that was lost when Sunnydale collapsed. Wackiness ensues when they run into their otherworldly selves, despite Willow’s warnings. FemaleFemale.
1. Chapter 1

**Parallels  
By  
Electra**

**Rating: **NC-17 ish

**Pairing:** Buffy/Faith

**Timeline:** Post-Chosen.

**Summary:** Willow sends Buffy and Faith to a parallel dimension to retrieve an artifact that was lost when Sunnydale collapsed. Wackiness ensues when they run into their otherworldly selves, despite Willow's warnings.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the characters used in this story, nor do I make any profit whatsoever in writing about them. No copyright infringement intended.

**Authors Note:** Trying to write my old works-in-progress was putting me off of writing, so I decided to try something new to sate my muse. The old stuff will get written once my muse agrees to play nice with it. :) Thanks for your patience and understanding.

* * *

For most people, there are things in life that go without saying. Never wear white after Labor Day. Bring to a boil and stir. Turn your clocks back or forward for Daylight Savings. Save the world – _a lot_ – and take a nice long break from evilness and heroics.

You know. Simple things.

But Willow wasn't like most people, and when she called an emergency meeting of the Sunnydale gang three months after they'd closed the Hellmouth, they knew that the honeymoon was over.

Most of the gang resided in Cleveland now, save for Giles who was busy building a new and improved Watcher's Council in England. He had encouraged everyone to go to Cleveland, seeing as that it had a Hellmouth that needed protecting and they were used to being the protectors.

Even though it was still work, it was much less intense than Sunnydale had ever been. After word spread around Cleveland that the slayer and her friends --who had fought the apocalypse in Sunnydale – were in town, demonic activity slowed to a near stop. Nothing left that a few nightly patrols per week couldn't take care of.

Buffy, for the most part, was content with her new life. She and Dawn lived in a small two-family home which was within walking distance of both Willow and Kennedy's apartment and Xander's fixer-upper house. Dawn was back in school, as was Buffy who was taking a few night courses per week while working at a local café.

Being a barista girl had never been her dream job, but it helped to maintain the bills that her small stipend from the Watcher's Council didn't cover.

In an unlikely series of events, Faith ended up renting the other half of Buffy and Dawn's house. Sure she was surprised when the gang had expected her to tag along with them rather than take a trip back to prison, but she was even more surprised when Buffy had told her about the newly available living quarters.

"Dawnie and I love it here. There's a back porch that has a perfect view of the sunset, and a nice big tree for taking little naps under on those deliciously lazy days when I'm ignoring phone calls from Giles, Willow, and work," Buffy had told her.

"Sounds great. Too bad I didn't hear about the place before you did," Faith responded with a small grin, "I woulda stole it right out from under those little things you call feet."

"You would've deprived us of our back-porch sitting? And the naps?" Buffy asked, feigning hurt.

"In a minute," Faith answered jokingly. "I'm picky 'bout where I live, B. No more hotels, no more prison cells. That means I wouldn't mind stepping on the occasional toe and biting or pulling hair to get the perfect place."

"Hmm. That almost makes me reluctant to tell you that our neighbor is moving out in two weeks and our landlord is looking for a new tenant," Buffy had answered back easily, wearing a grin that matched Faith's.

"Almost?" Faith asked before taking a long swig on her bottle of Pepsi.

Buffy chuckled and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper. She handed it over to Faith, still grinning.

"I already told him you'd be interested in the place. He's expecting your call."

Faith smiled as she looked at the small scrap of paper. "Thanks, B. Yunno, you're actually a pretty decent chick when you're not busy tryin to beat the hell outta me."

"Does that mean you'll not try to kill me anytime soon? Cos I've got an appointment to get my hair cut at this great salon and they'll be really upset if I'm late due to hospital visits or unplanned death," Buffy said, tongue-in cheek.

"Nah," Faith said easily. "I think you're safe for a while. Your good deed bought you a few months of guaranteed no kill-age."

And that was pretty much how it all ended up. Or how it all began. Faith moved in two and a half weeks later. She spent lots of time with Dawn, who thought it was great to finally have a friend of her own that wasn't dedicated to Buffy over herself. Buffy spent much of her free time becoming reacquainted with Willow and Xander, catching up on time with them that was lost over the anarchy of the previous few years.

Buffy alternated nightly patrols with Kennedy and Faith, this way each of them got a couple of nights off each week. Most of the time, however, Buffy and/or Dawn ended tagging along on Faith's patrol nights and vice versa, as the three of them had developed a bond in living so close to one another.

While Buffy was waking up at the crack of dawn to get ready for work, Faith was usually just walking in the door from her night shift at a local bar, The Bradford. Instead of going into her own house, Faith would always sit and have a cup of coffee with Buffy, despite the fact that she'd be going to sleep soon after Buffy left. The caffeine didn't bother her. She was just happy to finally have . . . friends.

By the time that Buffy finished her eight hour shift, she'd come home to find Faith and Dawn playing Grand Theft Auto, sprawled across her living room floor.

"With as much time as you spend here, you should just move in," Buffy joked with Faith on a daily basis.

"Nah, separate living space is the way to go, B. Makes you miss me more when I leave."

"Speaking of leaving," Buffy would say as she'd hold the front door open and would stare at Faith.

Faith would get up from the floor without incident, except for Dawn's whines that she could do her homework later, and walk past Buffy and through the door with a grin on her face.

"Don't worry, B, I get it. You want me to leave just so you can start missin' me. I'm onto your game."

"Later," Buffy would reply, a smile on her face.

"Yep," was Faith's answer, knowing fully well that they definitely would see one another later. Between watching the sun set with Buffy and Dawn, group patrolling, and late night movie marathons, they were pretty much always together. Later would always come, and Faith always looked forward to it.

Buffy, Dawn, and Faith got to spend even more time together, including a somewhat reluctant Kennedy, when Willow was called off to Los Angeles to help Angel out with a few things. No one liked that he was working for Wolfram & Hart, but they knew that he wouldn't get into something that he couldn't handle.

They just hoped that the power wouldn't corrupt him as it had so many people before him.

A month or so prior to Willow's trip, they had found out that Spike had come back in a slightly less than corporeal form. At first they were concerned that it was The First acting up again, but a few spells by the Coven in England proved that it really was Spike, and that he really was a ghost for some unforeseen reason. He wasn't supposed to be a ghost. Something had gone wrong when the Powers That Be brought him back.

Or at least that's what Willow was busy trying to explain as the gang sat around Xander's living room with Giles keyed in on speakerphone.

"What do you mean he's not supposed to be a ghost?" Buffy asked, her arms crossed over her chest. "He certainly can't be fleshy. I pretty much witnessed the blazing finale."

"Well, as helpful as he was in closing the Hellmouth, that wasn't Spike's destiny," Willow explained. "Angel was supposed to wear the amulet. It should have been Angel that died wearing it."

"That shouldn't matter though," Buffy continued. "He did wear it, and he did die. His being ghostly now shouldn't pose big enough a risk to call in the troops."

"That's where you're incorrect, Buffy," Giles chimed in over the speakerphone. "Surely under any other circumstances, it wouldn't have mattered. However, there is a prophecy . . ."

"There's always a prophecy," Buffy interrupted, rolling her eyes.

"Does anyone else feel like we're in a scene from Charlie's Angels?" Xander quipped.

"Perhaps," Giles continued in response to Buffy's interruption, "but this prophecy should have been obsolete. We've changed the future enough times to render it useless. However, when Angel gave the amulet to Spike, he returned to Los Angeles and took over Wolfram & Hart. The Powers That Be recognized this as a loss of another champion, one to death -- Spike, and one to the forces of evil -- Angel."

"Hey," Faith cut in, "big A knows what he's doing. Just cos he's the big guy at Wolfram & Hart doesn't mean he's the next big bad. He's using his resources to do good." She couldn't help but defend Angel. He was one of the few people that had always been there for her

"True," Giles responded. "But in accepting such power, he has lost his status as a champion of good in the eyes of the Powers That Be. Wolfram & Hart continues to grow exponentially as an evil entity, despite the good that Angel is trying to do. At the rate in which its power grows, it's only a matter of time before there's another showdown between good and evil. Another epic battle. The Powers are merely trying to establish that when and if such a time arrives, they have their champion at hand."

"And that's where Spike comes in," Xander stated rather than asked.

"Correct," Giles responded. "He was supposed to come back, unscathed. Ready to fight -- and die -- for the cause of the greater good."

"'Cept he can't really make with the big damage if he's busy falling through floors and walking through walls," Faith added from her place behind Buffy, her position a small sign of solidarity and support.

"Also correct," Giles responded.

"Which is where I come in," Willow said with a nervous smile. "I've been in contact with the coven, which has passed on some magicks and spells to restore Spike's corporeal form. All we need is a few items and ingredients and I should be able to whip up a body for him in a jiff."

"You sure about that, Wills?" Xander asked, taking a few steps closer to his friend. "Remember back when I got you that Easy Bake Oven? You had all the ingredients and the manual and everything laid out for you and I was still sick for a week after eating that fudge."

"It was cake," Willow said shyly, defending her cooking. "Besides, magic is different from cooking. Magic I can do, especially under the guidance of the coven."

"So, why the meeting then?" Buffy asked, convinced that there had to be something more to it if an emergency meeting of the Scooby gang had been called.

"The spell will be a piece of cake," Willow began and glared when it looked like Xander might bring up the Easy Bake Oven incident again. "It's the ingredients and items needed for the spell which is the difficult part."

"So hop on your broomstick and take a ride over to Hogwarts or something, Red. You've never had a problem with getting the goodies before," Faith commented, her arms crossed over her chest.

"If it was that simple, I would've taken care of everything while I was in LA instead of coming back here and getting everyone else involved," Willow responded. "I can get the stinky herbs and roots, but I'm lacking the vessel in which the ingredients need to be burned. I need the Urn of Osiris."

"The Urn of Osiris?" Xander chirped in, his voice an octave higher than normal. "The same Urn of Osiris that was destroyed when we brought Buffy back?"

"The one and only," Willow answered, looking guiltily over at Buffy.

"I see two problems here," Dawn said from her place on the floor. "One – That one and only urn? We kinda killed it. And two -- That one and only Sunnydale? We kinda killed it, too."

"Actually, Dawn, that's incorrect," Giles chimed in.

"Actually, Giles,_you're_ incorrect," Dawn answered back, her eyebrows raised. "I have ALWAYS wanted to tell him he was wrong!" She gushed, looking over to Xander who wore a proud smile. "I watched them both go kablooey."

"For all intents and purposes, you're correct," Giles said. "The urn was destroyed, and Sunnydale is indeed gone as well. But Willow has found a way to obtain the urn, which is where Buffy and Faith come in."

"Is it time travel?" Xander asked excitedly. "Are they gonna go back in time to the night Buffy was resurrected and swoop in and save the urn? Cause not only would that be really convenient, but also pretty darn cool."

"I actually thought about that. The going back in time, I mean," Willow said excitedly. "If I could go back to Sunnydale before it got all implode-y, I could use a spell to conjure up a new urn. So long as the remains of the existing urn were there, I could've just done the spell, made a new one, and been back here before you could say hootenanny."

"But the remains were destroyed, along with everything else," Buffy said rather than asked.

"Yep, pretty much." Willow said, deflating just a bit.

"So then what's the big plan?" Faith asked as she moved around the couch and plopped down next to Buffy. "Cos really? – not feeling big with the warm and fuzzy at the thought of rappelling into a big crater and fishing around for dust in a dust stack."

"Most of us know of or have had encounters with other dimensions. I don't need to get into the mechanics of it, right? Cos it's actually pretty nifty," Willow said, looking around the room from person to person to see if anyone looked interested. Seeing nothing but glares, she continued. "Right, we'll skip the physics lesson. Basically, there are countless other dimensions out there. We all exist in them in some form or another. There are infinite possibilities of who we are and how we live, but it doesn't change the fact that there is a Buffy Summers in every dimension, and a Sunnydale in every dimension . . ."

". . . and an Urn of Osiris in every dimension," Buffy finished for her.

"Right," Willow said with a nod. "The plan is simple in its basic form: I conjure up an orb that will let the both of you travel between dimensions. You go to a dimension that's similar to ours -- you know, where there's a Sunnydale that isn't overrun by demons or squirrels – you find the Urn, and you bring it back."

"If it's that simple, why can't just one of us go?" Faith asked, her brows slightly furrowed.

It was Giles' turn to speak up again.

"There is no way for us to properly research which dimension you'll be traveling to. Unfortunately, we'll be sending you into the situation completely blind. Willow can pinpoint the Sunnydale location and send you to the general vicinity, but we won't know what you'll find when you get there. In the event that you get there and are faced with a corrupted and dark Sunnydale, you'll stand a better chance of being successful if you go together."

"You hear that B?" Faith said, taking a glance over at Buffy. "Things get hairy and you get to play bait while I make a run for the money."

Buffy couldn't help but grin a little at Faith's words.

"Please," she said. "You are SO the bait. Besides, I run faster."

"I'm gonna ignore that comment about the running for now seeing as that I probably would make better bait. No one can resist this," Faith said with a grin as she indicated her body.

Xander couldn't resist the opportunity to jump into the conversation.

"Would you say that you're the master bait?" He quipped, but suddenly shrank back in his chair at the glares he received. "I'm just gonna be quiet now."

"Thank you," Giles said, his slight grimace at Xander's bad joke almost audible over the speakerphone.

"When would all of this go down?" Buffy asked, getting back to the matter at hand. As much as she appreciated their ability to keep things lighthearted, she knew that she'd rather get things taken care of quickly so that she could get back to her normal life. A life that no longer consisted of hopping through portals and stealing magical artifacts to save the world.

It was all a bit played out, at least as far as Buffy was concerned. Killing a couple of vamps a few nights per week almost made her think that her life was normal now. Or, at least as normal as it was ever gonna get.

Surely inter-dimensional travel put a small kink in her quasi-normal life.

"We can do it whenever you and Faith are ready, though the Powers seem to be itching to have their champion back as quickly as possible," Willow answered. "They can get a bit cranky when things don't go their way."

"Right," Buffy said, fully in business mode again. "Then I say we get a jump on this and get the Powers what they need so we can get back to our new and improved and slightly less slay-ey lives. Giles, any chance you'll be making a cameo in this fun-fest?"

"I wish I could be there, at least for old time's sake," he answered softly. "Unfortunately, I have some pressing matters here in England that must be tended to. However, I have complete faith in Willow's ability to get both you and Faith there and back unscathed. You'll let me know things went well upon your return?"

"You betcha, G," Faith said with a smile. "Anything we can get for ya while we're there? A tweed suit that you were particularly fond of, or a book or somethin?"

Giles paused for a few moments, choosing his words carefully.

"Just be careful, girls, and come home safe."

A moment later the line clicked off and Xander reached over to turn off the speaker.

"How long is the prep time gonna take for this, Wills?" Buffy asked as she stood and stretched her tired muscles.

"I just need to stop by the garden shop in the morning and get some wormwood and acacia bark and I should be set to conjure the orb. Once I do that, we're good to go. I'd say maybe a day, two tops."

"Great," Buffy said. "Just tell me when and where and I'll be there." Something occurred to her then. She turned to Faith, "Hey . . . are you onboard with this? I'm sure that Kennedy could fill in if you don't want to or if you're busy or anything . . ."

Faith took that opportunity to stand as well, pondering Buffy's words.

"I'm five by five, B. Always said I'd like to travel, see the world. Parallel dimensions gotta count, right?"

Buffy smiled, happy that Faith would be joining her. "They've gotta count for something."

* * *

A day and a half later, Willow, Buffy and Faith were stood in Buffy's kitchen going over the general plan.

"Plan? I thought you said it was simple," Faith said. "Use the orb to get where you tell us to go, find the Urn, and come on home. Is the last-minute meeting really necessary?"

"There are a few details that we should touch upon, yes," Willow said, hedging around the particulars.

"Willow?" Buffy asked slowly, studying Willow's face. "You have guilty face. Why do you have guilty face?"

"There are a couple of things I may have failed to mention," Willow said shyly. "Just . . . little things, really."

"What kind of little things?" Faith asked, looking rather menacing.

"Well, like . . . if you break or lose the orb, there's a chance that you'll be stuck there. Like, forever stuck there." She looked anxiously between Buffy and Faith who stared at one another.

Faith reached into her pocket and took out the orb, handing it over to Buffy.

"You carry it," she said, eyebrows raised.

"Gee, thanks," Buffy said dryly, easily pocketing the orb.

"And," Willow continued, earning a glare from both girls, "you can't run into your otherworldly selves. It would be bad. Catastrophic bad."

"What? Why?" Faith asked, looking worried. "You guys know me, I usually go looking for trouble. I mean, now that you told me not to, I won't, but I can't promise that the other me isn't gonna come looking for us. I'm not the brightest crayon in the box, no matter which dimension you find me in."

"You're just gonna have to be extra careful," Willow said cheerily. "It's one of the reasons why we're sending the both of you. One gets to play explorer while the other plays lookout."

"This sounds like it's gonna be great fun," Buffy said with a sigh.

"Everything will be fine, Buff," Willow said, laying a comforting hand on Buffy's arm. "Just . . . stay away from your other selves. If all else fails, just stay away from them."

Before Buffy or Faith could say or complain any more, Willow scurried out of the kitchen and into the living room where Kennedy, Dawn and Xander were waiting.

"Something tells me that we're in for some trouble," Faith said as she leaned back against the counter, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Yeah, well . . . what else is new," Buffy responded as she copied Faith's position next to her. "You sure you're up for this? We can always back out, let the Powers pick someone else."

Faith thought about it for a few moments. True, she was enjoying their low-key life now. She didn't want to get stuck in some other dimension, and she was pretty sure that she didn't want to know what would happen if they ran into their other selves. Still, they were slayers. They had been chosen to do good; to save the world, no matter how many times they had done so before.

"I think we've gotta do it, B. Besides . . . maybe if we get it right, Giles will let us use some Council funds to take a trip or something. Some sun and fun after saving the world seems like an even exchange."

Buffy smiled and turned to face Faith, holding out her hand.

"Sounds like a plan. Let's shake on it: we save the world, we take a vacation."

Faith smiled back and took Buffy's hand, shaking it lightly.

"Deal. But I get to pick the place."

"Fair enough," Buffy said, smiling. Then she took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, finally letting go of Faith's hand. "You ready for this?"

Faith nodded her head as she stretched her limbs, readying them for whatever they would find once they went through the portal. "As I'll ever be."

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks so much for your comments and feedback, it means a lot to me. :)

* * *

The final preparations were made in Buffy's living room as she and Faith geared up to travel to the dimension of Willow's choosing. Willow told them that in order to leave the dimension once they had the Urn of Osiris in their possession, they needed to travel back to the place where they arrived and hold the orb in their joined hands. She gave them a small string of Latin words hastily scribbled on a scrap of paper and explained that they needed to be sure to memorize the words, or at least not to lose the paper. It was their way home; only those spoken words would open the portal and bring them back home.

They needed to be sure to chant the words in the exact location where they landed, however, as any change in their stellar coordinates might send them to some random dimension that wasn't their own.

There were no other surprise warnings. The plan was official: travel to the dimension, locate the Urn, obtain it, avoid their other selves, and come home safe.

With the scrap of paper in her pocket, Buffy and Faith joined hands and said the words aloud. Moments later, a large white portal opened in front of them. They eyed the portal cautiously, then Faith looked back over her shoulder at Willow.

"If I come out on the other side with my ass on my front, you better be able to fix it," she said jokingly.

"If you end up with your ass on your front, I'm taking a picture and using it on my Christmas cards," Buffy replied, playfully elbowing Faith's side.

Faith looked at Buffy and grinned, "I knew you loved my ass."

Buffy simply chuckled and rolled her eyes before casting a quick glance in the direction of her friends. "Wish us luck?"

"May the Schwartz be with you," Xander said with a silly grin, his Spaceballs joke lost on everyone but Faith.

A deep breath later, Buffy and Faith walked through the portal and into the unknown.

Moments later, they found themselves cramped into a tiny bathroom stall. After a quick glance around the dank enclosure, they unclasped hands and Buffy shoved the orb into her jacket pocket.

"Well, at least we know this dimension has working plumbing," Buffy said as she inspected the area.

"Yeah, not that dirty skanks know how to use it any better in this one," Faith said with a grimace as she lifted her foot and used the toe of her boot to flush the toilet.

"Ughh," Buffy replied and pulled her shirt up over her nose as she watched the contents of the toilet swirl down the hole. "Let's get out of here. The sooner we find the urn, the sooner we can go back home where the only person I have to worry about not flushing the toilet is Dawn."

"I'm with you on that. Let's do this."

Taking another deep breath, Buffy opened the shoddy metal door and peered out into the now familiar restroom.

"I know this," Buffy said, her brows furrowed. She walked out of the stall and into the small restroom, making her way over to the sink area. "I can't believe it, this is the Bronze," she said with a smile.

Faith casually walked out of the stall, looking around at the familiar walls and fixtures.

"Yeah, and it's still in desperate need of a makeover," Faith commented, careful not to touch anything. She looked at the exit door and raised an eyebrow. "You think it's safe to go out there?"

Buffy turned and looked at the door, adjusting her senses over the loud beating of the music. She closed her eyes and focused, trying as hard as she could to feel any sense of danger. Vamps, demons, ex-boyfriends; anything that might give them a hard time.

After a few moments, she opened her eyes to see Faith doing the same thing.

"I'm not getting anything. Not even a tingle. How about you?" she asked.

Faith shrugged and opened her eyes. "Nada. Only thing I feel is you, and the intense desire to get out of this bathroom before I lose my lunch."

"We all know you have an iron stomach, Faith. Remember that time you sat and ate a whole plate of spaghetti while you watched the Texas Chainsaw Massacre? You didn't even . . . wait, hold on," Buffy stopped herself as she realized something, "you can feel me?" she asked, her brows furrowed a bit.

Faith smirked, "Of course I can. Could from the first day I met you at the Bronze – umm, here, I guess."

"Why can't I feel you? Am I missing something?" Buffy asked as she closed her eyes and focused again. "I think my slayer buzz is broken or something."

Faith smiled as she watched Buffy's face go from determination to frustration, and then to surprise. She must have finally felt their connection.

"Ooh, tingly," Buffy said as she felt their connection. "It's like goosebumps. How come I've never felt this before?"

"Maybe you just never tried before," Faith said with a wink before she opened the door. She peered out into the club, checking for any signs of danger or of their other selves.

She wasn't sure what catastrophic danger running into their other selves could really present, but she was sure as hell going to follow Willow's advice and avoid them at all costs. Faith liked her life too much now to mess it up over a freak encounter.

Besides, she really wasn't sure that she wanted to meet herself in another dimension. Seeing herself all fucked up like she had been years before really wasn't big on her list of stuff to do. Sure, there was the possibility that her other self wasn't fucked up or a mess in this world, but Faith had to go with what she knew best. She had been a fuck-up, and she couldn't expect any better of herself, no matter which dimension she was in.

"It's all clear, B. No sign of us. Um, I mean the other us. The other . . . we?" She looked over to Buffy to save her from the state of confusion she was headed in.

"The other us," Buffy stated with a nod, correcting Faith. "Good. We'll just steer clear of them and we should be A-OK."

"Five by five," Faith corrected Buffy with a grin.

"Keep it up and I just might leave you here," Buffy said with a mock glare.

"Nah," Faith said as she grabbed Buffy's hand and led them through the crowd and toward the exit, "ya can't live without me, B. Admitting it is half the battle."

Both girls couldn't help but smile at their constant banter. It was comfortable, and they knew it was safe ground where they could both be themselves.

A short walk later through an almost identical Sunnydale, Buffy and Faith found themselves at an internet café. Buffy sat down at a computer and started to research the urn while Faith stood on guard for familiar faces. Faith was fine being left out of the research. She had always been more of the physical type and less of the brainy type. Buffy could do the research and she'd make sure things were safe.

Besides, unless Buffy thought that Faith could find the urn by losing endless games of computer Solitaire and Minesweeper, she was definitely the one to do the research leg of their journey.

"A-ha!" Buffy exclaimed as she stared at the screen excitedly.

Faith turned and glanced at Buffy. "You find it?" She asked casually.

"Not quite, but there's a big sale at the shoe store. Do you know how hard it's been for me to find comfortable boots since we left Sunnydale?"

Faith simply glared at Buffy.

"Okay, okay," Buffy said, closing the internet window. "All work and no play makes Buffy a dull girl," she said under her breath as she resumed her research.

"Yeah, well . . . all play and no urn makes Spike a permanent ghost, and you know how the Powers can be when they don't get their way," Faith responded. After a minute, she continued as casually as she could. "Speaking of Spike, after he's back and having of a solid body, are you gonna kiss the new life goodbye and get all loved up?"

Buffy glanced up from the computer at that point and looked at Faith.

"A world of no," she said evenly. "That's all a part of the past, and I left as much of the past behind in the hole that is Sunnydale that I could." She paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully. "I like my new life."

She took a chance and offered a small smile and was elated when Faith responded in kind.

"I like it too," Faith said, smiling.

Their gazes locked for several seconds, a definite moment passing between them. The moment was cut short, however, when a small chirp sounded from the computer. Buffy looked back at the computer, her features instantly lighting up.

"Ooh! My search is done. Let's see….." she said as she perused the information. "Okay, piece of cake. The urn is at an antiquities shop downtown. How convenient is that? We have . . ." she glanced up at the clock on the wall, "half an hour to get there before they close."

"Sounds like a walk in the park, which -- well, if we're talkin Sunnydale – is actually a pretty dangerous place. You sure it's that easy?" Faith asked as she leaned over and looked at the computer screen over Buffy's shoulder. "We don't need to like . . . dig through a tomb and fight a fashion-challenged ancient vamp or something?"

Buffy merely shrugged and pointed toward the computer screen.

"There's the shop's inventory list, and there's the urn. Heck, we'll be able to stop by the shoe store on the way out of town," she said, looking hopefully at Faith through her eyelashes.

"The look doesn't work on me, B. I'm impervious to your batty eyelashes and the pouty . . . the pouty . . ." seeing Buffy's pouty lip stick out, Faith stopped and sighed loudly, ". . . dammit. Fine, we'll stop at the shoe store."

"Ha!" Buffy said as she stood up excitedly, pulling Faith up by her elbow. "The pout is your kryptonite, Faith. It's impervious to your imperviousness."

Faith merely rolled her eyes and shook her elbow free of Buffy's hand. In a swift motion, she put her denim jacket back on and made her way out of the café with Buffy goading her the whole way.

Buffy had finally relented in her teasing when they reached the front door of the antiquities shop. She paused and waited for Faith to do her spy-like investigation of the shop from the sidewalk out front, making sure that there were no dangers present.

"How does it look in there?" Buffy asked as she peered in over Faith's shoulder.

"Like a junk sale at my grandma's house," Faith replied evenly. "Who buys this kinda shit? Why does anyone need a painting of dogs playing poker? I don't get it."

Buffy smiled softly and stole a quick glance at Faith, trying not to make it obvious.

"Well, in any case, the place seems to be safe," Faith said, finally turning to face Buffy. "One old guy behind the counter, not getting any evil vibes from him or anything."

"Great. The quicker we get this done, the longer I have to go shoe shopping."

Ignoring Faith's glare, Buffy grabbed her hand and pulled her into the shop. Their entrance was signaled by the chiming of the bell that was tied to the door handle. The old man behind the counter looked up from his book and smiled at Buffy and Faith.

"Good evening, ladies," he said with a friendly smile. "It's been a long time since I've seen you, Buffy."

Buffy nearly froze mid-step, but Faith urged her along, whispering to just go along with it just barely loud enough for Buffy's slayer hearing to pick up.

"Time does fly," Buffy said nervously.

"How did that last gift work out for you?" he asked, stepping around the counter. He obviously was quite comfortable with her, but Buffy couldn't seem to relax.

"The last gift?" Buffy repeated back, sounding confused.

The old man just chuckled and adjusted his perfectly round spectacles, "The vase, for your mother. Did she like it?"

Buffy's eyes widened at that. "For my mother?" she asked, knocked almost completely back by the thought of her mother happy and alive and well in this dimension.

"Yeah, you remember that, Buffy. The vase for your mother," Faith said, trying to look into Buffy's eyes. After a moment or two, Buffy moved her gaze from the old man to Faith and promptly understood Faith's look.

"Oh, right . . . the vase," Buffy said with a nod. She looked back to the man and smiled. "She loved it. Raves about it to all of her friends."

"I'll bet she does, that vase was a beauty," the man commented brightly. "So, what brings you here today? Surely you and Faith aren't buying something for yourselves."

Buffy looked over to Faith who merely gave her a semi-puzzled look back. He knew Faith too? How exactly was that possible? Unless, of course, Buffy and Faith were friends in this dimension as well. Actually, it didn't seem that unusual, seeing how close Buffy and Faith had become in their own dimension.

"You've got us there," Faith answered quickly, trying to be as lighthearted as possible. "We're actually looking for something for Buffy's gram this time around. Yunno . . . something special."

The old man frowned then and looked towards Buffy.

"Didn't your grandmother just pass last week?"

Buffy's eyes widened. "Umm, yeah. Yes. Poor Grandma, bless her soul. She's with Pops now," she said, quickly glancing over at Faith for support.

The old man nodded and lowered his head for a moment, a solemn look on his face.

"Actually, we really are looking for something for Grams though. She always was dead set against a big funeral, so . . . we're gonna have a small service, scatter her ashes. Buffy's been put up to the task of finding an urn to be the temporary home."

As if it were even possible, Buffy's eyes widened even more.

"Of course," the man answered and walked across the shop to an ornately decorated shelf where a few urns sat.

Immediately, Buffy recognized the Urn of Osiris sat smack dab in the middle of the shelf.

"That one!" she exclaimed, pointing at the urn in question. The old man jumped at her excitement, so Buffy tried to cover. "That one is lovely. Grandma would love it."

The old man reached up on the shelf, his wrinkled hands grasping gently around the urn, and he held it out for Buffy to inspect.

"This one is quite exquisite, but . . ." he looked at the urn with his brows furrowed slightly, "perhaps it's a bit small."

Faith realized the fatal flaw in her plan then . . . the urn was a very small one, barely able to hold more than a cup or two of contents.

"Well . . . Grandma was really small," Buffy countered, taking the urn gently in her hands. "It runs in the family. We're tiny." Seeing the skeptical look that both the man and Faith were giving her, Buffy pouted just a little. "Some of us freakishly so."

The old man simply offered Buffy a small smile and took her hand, leading her back toward the counter.

"If that's the urn you think she'd like, then that's the urn that you'll get."

He took the urn from Buffy and wrapped it carefully, a way to ensure that it wouldn't break in transit. If he only knew how far that urn was being transported . . .

Fifty dollars and an awkward hug or two later, Buffy and Faith made their way down the street toward the shoe store with their package in hand.

"It coulda been worse," Faith commented as she kicked a small rock along the sidewalk.

"Worse?" Buffy asked incredulously. "My make-believe grandmother just died and I bought an urn for her that wouldn't even hold her right leg. I'm a horrible granddaughter," she said with a guilty smile.

"Yeah, well . . . at least we got what we came for. All we have to do now is get your boots and . . ." Faith's voice trailed off as she and Buffy reached the door to the shoe store, only to discover that the store was already closed.

"Well, this dimension just sucks," Buffy said as she grabbed the pad lock on the door and jiggled it gingerly. "What kind of shoe store closes before 5:00pm? It's wrong. This dimension is unnatural."

"It's not so bad," Faith said as she looked around the busy street, couples and families bustling along as they finished their shopping for the day. "At least we know we're friends in this dimension. Kinda woulda sucked if we found out that we weren't friends at all, or even worse, enemies."

"Yeah, I guess," Buffy said, deflated. "What a bummer. I was totally psyched, too."

Faith watched as Buffy winced painfully as she wiggled her feet around in the constraining and uncomfortable boots she was wearing. She didn't like seeing Buffy upset. There was nothing more that she loved than when they could just be happy and easy going. It made her feel like she was home.

"Hey, I've got a potentially horrible idea," Faith said, causing Buffy to look up at her with a small pout on her face. "How bout we make a small detour on the way back to the Bronze?"

"What did you have in mind?" Buffy asked.

Faith smiled and started walking slowly again, urging Buffy along with a nod of her head in the direction she was walking in.

About fifteen minutes later, Buffy and Faith made their way through an eerily familiar neighborhood.

"This is unbelievable," Buffy said as she gazed around the small street. "Every house is exactly the same. Same colors, same landscaping . . . same everything. I feel like we're back in Sunnydale. Our Sunnydale."

"It's defo a bit trippy," Faith said and she watched Buffy from the corner of her eye, trying not to make it apparent that she was watching her. "Wonder if all the same people live in the houses."

"I think that's a no," Buffy said as she stood in front of her former neighbor's house. She pointed toward the large garage where two small children were chasing one another on big-wheels. "There used to be an elderly couple that lived there."

"So, houses are the same but the people are different?" Faith asked.

"Looks that way at least."

They walked the last few steps up the sidewalk until they were stood at the walkway that led to the front door of Buffy's former house. Buffy looked at the house wistfully, a mixture of happiness and sadness passing across her features.

"It's kind of bittersweet," she said, her gaze transfixed on the house.

"How so?" Faith asked quietly, watching the emotions play across Buffy's face.

"I get to see it, but I can't have it," Buffy said sadly.

"Yeah, I know all about that one," Faith said, suddenly finding her boots quite interesting. When she finally willed herself to look up again, she saw Buffy walking down the walkway towards the house. "Whoa whoa whoa, what are ya doing?" Faith asked as she jogged up to Buffy, stopping her with a firm hand on her shoulder.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Buffy asked, moving Faith's hand off of her. "I'm getting a closer look."

"B, does that sound like such a good idea? Remember Red's warning, about the badness? The catastrophic badness?" Faith reminded Buffy, firmly planted on the walkway as Buffy made her way up the porch steps.

"We already know that different people live in the houses, Faith. What harm can it do if I just take a peek in the window?"

"And what if your mom is looking out the window just as you're looking in? Fuck, what if you're inside the house? The other you, I mean. What if you spontaneously combust or something? What do I tell your sister and the gang? Hey Dawnie, I totally took Buffy through the old neighborhood and she blew up into a gabillion little Buffy pieces. Oops, my bad." Faith ranted on, clearly agitated. She didn't want their mission to get screwed up, seeing as how easy they had had it up until that point.

She didn't want to be a failure anymore. More importantly, she didn't want to find out what happened if they ran into their other selves. There was no way she could go back though that portal alone if Buffy decided to get explodey.

"Blah blab blah," Buffy mimicked Faith as she peeked in through the front window of the house. "Doesn't look like anyone's home. And hey, what happened to the daring girl that used to jump into situations headlong?"

Faith straightened up and took the few steps up the porch so that she was stood next to Buffy now.

"She grew up, B. And I really suggest you think this over before you make a mistake we all end up regretting."

Judging by the tone in Faith's voice, Buffy realized that she had offended Faith. That was the last thing she had meant to do. Frustrated, she stood back from the window and faced Faith, a pleading look on her face.

"I need this, Faith. I never got to . . . I need closure. I need to see it one last time so I can say goodbye. Just . . . please, just let me have this." She reached out and took Faith's hand in her own; a gesture she hoped would make Faith see how sincere she was.

Faith stared into Buffy's green eyes for a few moments before sighing deeply.

"Be quick. We don't know how long we have. And if you think I'm sweeping up all the pieces of you if you go all kablooey, you've got another thing coming."

With a grateful smile, Buffy led Faith to the front door. She closed her eyes and tried to focus on sounds inside the house, but the only thing she could feel and hear was the hum of her connection with Faith, made stronger by their joined hands.

"Sure, I don't pick up on the connection thing for six years and now that I do, I can't drown it out. Does it buzz this loud for you?" She asked, almost annoyed.

"Yep," Faith answered with a grin.

Focusing once again, Buffy shrugged her shoulders after a minute or so. "Nothing, I don't feel anything from inside the house. I think it's empty." Trying her luck, she turned the door knob and was surprised when it turned easily. "Jackpot."

And as if it was her very own house, Buffy walked into the front door and immediately began checking the place out. She jogged up a few of the stairs, peering around the corner before she jogged back down and into the living room.

"Wow, twilight zoney. This is almost exactly like my old house. Pretty sure this one hasn't been put back together a hundred times though."

Faith looked around nervously from her spot just inside the doorway. "Yeah, that's great. You ready to go?"

Buffy stopped and looked over at Faith, laughing softly. "I've never seen you this uptight the whole time I've known you. Relax Faith," she said as she took a few steps towards her. "We're alone here. I'm gonna do my explorer thing and we'll be back home before you can say wicked."

Faith narrowed her eyes at Buffy, who happily bounced through the front hall and into the dining room. Buffy disappeared into the kitchen, leaving Faith stood alone in the front hall.

"Hey, don't worry, B. I'm sure a little B&E will look great on your resume," Faith said to herself.

Just then, she heard a noise come from upstairs. Before she could signal to Buffy, she saw a very familiar blonde come bouncing down the stairs.

"Hey baby, you're home early," the other Buffy said as she leapt from the last stair into Faith's arms. Before Faith could react with the shock she was feeling, she felt a soft pair of lips on her own and a strong pair of hands groping her ass.

"Ahh hah whoa," Faith said as she let Buffy down onto the ground and tried to take a step back.

"Mmm, I love it when you play coy," the other Buffy said with a devilish grin before leaping up into Faith's arms again, kissing her nice and deep this time.

Faith tried not to react, using every ounce of strength she had to be a statue, but Buffy's persistent lips and tongue were unrelenting and she finally gave in. She wrapped her arms around the other Buffy and kissed her long and deep, earning a moan from the girl.

It was then that Faith heard a slight gasp come from the living room. She opened her eyes to see her Buffy stood there with her hand over her mouth and her eyes opened wide.

Faith released one hand from the other Buffy's lower back and waved it at Buffy, indicating the open door. Buffy simply nodded her head as Faith maneuvered herself and the other Buffy into the dining room. When she saw her Buffy make a run for the open door, she indulged in the kiss for just a moment longer before breaking away.

"That was nice," the other Buffy said as she ran her thumb over Faith's lips.

"More than nice," Faith said, resting her forehead against Buffy's for a moment. "Babe, do you think you can get me a drink? I'm kinda dry here all the sudden."

"Of course," the other Buffy said before placing a soft kiss on Faith's cheek. Then she kissed her way to Faith's ear where she whispered, "but I plan on getting you nice and wet later anyhow."

Faith's eyes went wide yet again, not so much from the other Buffy's words, but from the way she squeezed her ass before she bounced into the kitchen.

"You already did," Faith said under her breath as she turned and headed for the front door.

Just as she reached the open door, however, she saw a dark-haired figure walking up the walkway. Buffy, who had been stood on the front porch waiting for her, noticed the look on Faith's face and instantly turned around to come face to face with the other Faith.

Faith jumped back into the house, her back against the wall as she listened to the encounter outside.

"Oh, hi!" Buffy said a little too cheerily as the other Faith sauntered up to her.

"Oh hi yourself," the other Faith said as she grabbed Buffy in her arms and lifted her in the air, causing Buffy to squeak. "Gimme some sugar," she said as she lowed Buffy down flush against her body.

Before Buffy could process what was happening, she felt Faith's lips against hers, soft and needy and soft and soft . . .

She closed her eyes, knowing fully well that she had to go along with the charade of being the other Buffy, but was unable to fight it even if she had wanted to. She yielded to the kiss, letting the other Faith claim her with her lips and tongue. Faith's arms wrapped around her and she felt . . . safe. Like no matter what bad things existed in that dimension, she was safe right there where she stood.

Faith chose that moment to peek out the door, and she was suddenly transfixed on the image of her other self kissing Buffy. Her Buffy.

When she saw the kiss come to a close and the other Faith backing Buffy up to the house, Faith knew that she needed another escape route.

"Shit!" She mumbled under her breath as she headed the only other way out: through the kitchen where the other Buffy was and out the back door.

Faith half-jogged through the dining room and burst into the kitchen, causing the other Buffy to jump in surprise.

"You scared me," the other Buffy said with a smile. She made her way over to Faith with a cold can of Pepsi in her hand.

Faith knew she had to go, but she couldn't resist the beautiful blonde in front of her. Taking the other Buffy by surprise yet again, she pulled her in for a quick kiss, letting her lips linger for just a few moments.

When she pulled back, she smiled at the other Buffy and took the can of Pepsi, taking a much needed drink from the can. Before Buffy could ask where she was going, Faith went out the back door and made a hasty exit around the side of the house. When she reached the front of the house, she peeked around the corner to see Buffy trying her best to get a very gropey Faith to go into the house.

"I'll be inside in two minutes, I promise. Go and look for the surprise I got for you," Buffy said almost pleadingly. The other Faith took the bait and excitedly turned and went inside the house.

Faith took that opportunity to run up to Buffy and grab her hand, then pulled the shocked girl down the walkway and away from the house.

"Holy . . ." Buffy began, having a total lack of words.

"Uh, yeah," Faith said, shaking her head.

"That was . . ." Buffy continued, still unable to put a sentence together.

"You're telling me."

They all but jogged to the Bronze in complete silence from that point, neither able to find the words to say about what had happened. Still, they never let go of one another's hand the whole way.

As they made their way into the Bronze and through the busy crowd to the restrooms, Faith finally found her voice.

"You think they saw us? I mean . . . you think the other me saw me?"

"No, but she saw – and felt – a whole lot of me," Buffy said almost shyly.

When they walked into the ladies restroom, they finally let go of one another's hands. An awkward silence came over them.

"We should get back, they're probably starting to worry about us," Buffy said quietly.

"Yeah, definitely." Faith agreed. As Buffy took a step to walk toward the stall where they had landed, Faith stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "B . . . Buffy, you know that wasn't me back there, right? That wasn't us. Right?"

She looked deep into Buffy's eyes, waiting for some kind of affirmation. She didn't want things between them to get weird. Something like this could bring a bit of awkwardness into their comfortable friendship, which Faith didn't want.

"Right," Buffy said quietly, offering a nervous smile.

"Good," Faith said, letting go of Buffy's arm.

They made their way into the stall, closing the door tight behind them. They tried their best not to touch too intimately, but being in such a cramped area didn't allow for much personal space.

"You got the orb and the Latin mumbo jumbo?" Faith asked.

"Yeah," Buffy replied, reaching deep into her pocket. She reached out tentatively to Faith, knowing that they had to hold hands for them both to be transported.

Faith looked at Buffy's hand, then up into her eyes. After a moment, she took Buffy's hand gently in hers, both girls flinching slightly at the hum of their connection. Clinging tightly to the package, Faith closed her eyes and recited the written words with Buffy. A moment later, a large white portal opened up and swallowed them in white light.

No more than five seconds later, they heard the sounds of Willow, Xander, Dawn and Kennedy talking around them.

"Hey!" Willow exclaimed, hopping up from her spot on the living room floor. "You're back! And you have a package. Either Buffy went shoe shopping or you found the urn."

Buffy and Faith looked at one another and then took a noticeable step apart.

"Oh yeah. We found the urn, and a whole lot more," Buffy said, chuckling nervously.

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

Faith handed the package over to Willow who looked it over quickly before turning her attention back to Buffy and Faith.

"What do you mean 'a whole lot more'? What else did you find?" Willow asked, a confused look upon her face.

"The urn was easy to find," Faith began. "We found a computer, did the search thingamajig like you said to, and presto – got a shiny new urn at the antique shop."

"But the guy who was working there knew our other selves, apparently. He started talking about my mom, and when I found out the shoe shop was closed . . ." Buffy said, only to have Willow interrupt her.

"Ooh, you mean the place on Main Street?"

"Yeah, the place with the comfy boots," Buffy continued. "Anyway, when I found out that it was closed I got a little bit bummed out. It was all just a little weird being back there, and knowing that my mom was walking around somewhere . . ." Buffy trailed off, lost in her thoughts.

"To make a long story short," Faith continued the tale, "we took a detour back on our way to the exit point and ended up in B's old neighborhood." Seeing Willow's scolding glare, Faith tried to cover. "Hey, I just thought that seeing the old casa de Summers would cheer her up. I didn't think that she was gonna go busting in all crazy-like and . . ."

"Faith groped me!" Buffy interrupted excitedly, trying to divert attention from the fact that she caused the whole incident with her need to explore.

"Hey, not before you groped me!" Faith replied with her eyebrows raised, doing her best to look innocent.

"So, you took a walk down memory lane and decided to get frisky on your front porch?" Kennedy asked, a small grin on her face. "Kinky. But couldn't you have waited 'til you got back here?"

"It was not kinky, at least not like that," Buffy defended. "Turns out that we, Faith and I – the _other_ Faith and I – live together in that house. And it would seem that we're a bit more than housemates."

A moment of silence descended upon the room as they all processed what Buffy had just said. Xander's eyes widened, Willow blushed, Dawn grimaced, and Kennedy looked like the cat that got the cream.

"You mean the other Faith and Buffy are shacking up together in the other dimension?" Kennedy asked. When Buffy nodded, Kennedy laughed aloud. "That's fucking classic! So, come on . . . what happened?"

"B was busy playing explorer, and that's when I got ambushed by the other Buffy. She came bouncing down the stairs and jumped me, so I kept her occupied while B made an exit out the front door," Faith explained.

"Kept her occupied?" Buffy asked, eyebrows raised. "It looked like you were enjoying yourself to me."

Faith grinned, "Yeah, well . . . the other Buffy knew how to work it, what can I say?"

"Oh, I don't need to be hearing this," Dawn said, crossing the room as if to get away from the discussion.

"Yeah, well . . . the other Faith certainly didn't waste any time with formalities when I ran into her outside. I couldn't have fought her off even if I'd wanted to," Buffy said. Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head when she realized what she'd said. "Not that I didn't want to, but, you know . . . I had to distract her so Faith could make her escape."

Faith merely looked at Buffy and grinned, thoroughly enjoying Buffy's little slip up. Did that mean that Buffy didn't mind the other Faith's advances?

"Well," Willow began, her voice faltering just a bit, "I'm willing to assume that they didn't see the two of you together, because . . . well, you're still in one piece. I'm guessing that the lack of explodeyness means that we're safe. And hey," she held up the box for everyone to see, "we have the urn! All and all, I'd say it went only slightly askew from the plan."

"I'd have to agree there," Xander chimed in. "We have the urn, bleach boy is gonna get his body back, and Buffy and Faith are lesbians in the other dimension. It's a good day. I say we celebrate." He couldn't keep the cheesy smile off his face, despite receiving menacing glares from Buffy and Faith. "Tonight, the pizza and snacks are on me. Who's in?"

"I could eat a horse," Kennedy said, standing up and pulling Willow along with her toward the door.

"Oh, um . . . I guess we're going. Buff, Faith . . . you guys coming?" Willow asked.

"Maybe in the other dimension they are," Kennedy said with a slightly evil grin.

Dawn sighed loudly, letting her shoulders slump forward. "Scarred for life. Thanks, Ken." She turned to Buffy, "I'll be up in my room trying to wipe that thought from my memory."

Without another word, Dawn was climbing the stairs two at a time until she reached her room and closed the door behind her.

"You can count me out," Faith said. "I've got a six-pack of ice cold Bud with my name on it. It's the perfect support group."

She turned on her heel and made her way through the kitchen and out the back door, headed toward her own half of the house.

"That just leaves you, Buff. You coming?" Willow asked, ignoring Kennedy's insistent tugging on her arm.

"Nah, I'm just gonna stay here. It'll be dark soon and it's my night to patrol. That and I'm so not into the teasing that Kennedy and Xander have in for me."

Willow shook free from Kennedy and took a few steps back into the house, speaking quietly so that only Buffy could hear her.

"Are you sure? I can stay here with you if you need to talk, Buffy. I promise, I won't even tease you. Much," she said, a little smile breaking through her sympathetic guise.

"I'm sure," Buffy said with a smile. "Now go, before Kennedy starts gnawing on Xander's tires."

Willow leaned forward and gave Buffy a small hug, then made her way to the door and closed it tight behind her.

Knowing that she was finally alone and under no one's watchful gaze, Buffy leaned forward so that her head was near her knees and exhaled loud and deeply. She tried to relax, taking in nice and deep breaths while stretching her tense muscles.

The whole ordeal had been really unnerving for her. She knew that she should feel weird about what she saw in the other dimension, but she didn't. It hadn't bothered her as much as everyone thought that it did. Sure, she was slightly shocked at what she'd seen and at what she was able to surmise was going on between the other Buffy and Faith in the dimension. What did unnerve her was how much the situation didn't bother her. She wasn't able to figure out in her own mind what that meant, and to be honest, she was too tired and mentally exhausted to deal with it just then.

Instead of letting it stress her out, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of beer from the refrigerator. The cap twisted off easily in her hand, and a few seconds later she had downed nearly half the bottle.

As she rested back against the counter with her eyes closed, rolling her head around to stretch her neck muscles, she heard Faith's back door close. She looked down at her watch and smiled. Right on cue, she thought.

Without hesitation, she made her way to the back door and opened it up to find Faith resting on the large wicker couch that they'd purchased for back-porch sitting. She was under a large fleece blanket with her head rested back against the couch, looking peaceful and not at all troubled by the day's events. Her shoeless feet were up on the wicker table, crossed over one another so that she was in the perfect relaxing position.

"Any room for me under that blanket, or are we gonna do the thing where we act all weird and stay exactly five feet away from each other at all times?" She asked with a small smile.

Faith opened her eyes and looked over at Buffy, giving her a friendly smile.

"There's always room for you, B."

She lifted the blanket up and Buffy walked over to take a seat, bypassing the large wicker armchair like she did every other night in favor of a seat on the couch.

Buffy took off her jacket and laid it down on the table before flopping back on the chair with a tired sigh. Faith lay the blanket back down over Buffy's legs and grinned.

"Just don't try to molest me or anything, B. I'm in a fragile state of mind and stuff . . . I might let you take advantage of me or something."

Buffy smiled and took another swig of her beer, letting the amber liquid warm her up from the inside out.

"I'll try to resist," she joked.

They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, just watching the colors change in the sky as the sun began to set. When Buffy finished her beer, Faith reached down to the six-pack she brought outside and handed Buffy a new bottle after twisting the cap off for her.

"So chivalrous," Buffy commented as she took the beer from Faith.

"Yeah, that's me for sure. Holding doors, opening bottles, taking us on forbidden tours through Sunnydale just to make a lady happy. I'm all about the chivalry," Faith said tongue-in-cheek.

"I can tell," Buffy said with a smile, keeping her gaze focused on the sky. "I never thanked you, by the way . . . for letting me see my old house. I think I needed to see it one last time."

"No problem, B," Faith said, looking from the sky to her half-full bottle. She picked on the label a little bit, choosing over her words. "Do you regret going there?"

"No," Buffy answered straight away. "I wish that we wouldn't have gotten caught so quickly – I didn't even get to check out my old room. But no . . . no regrets."

"That was kinda wild, wasn't it?" Faith asked with a smile, finally looking over to Buffy. "Seeing our other selves like that. Kinda makes you think," she said, looking back up to the sky.

"About what-if's and why's?" Buffy asked, taking a glance over at Faith.

Faith chuckled and took a long swig of her beer. "No, about what happened when they realized they weren't mackin' on each other two minutes before."

"Ahh yeah, that," Buffy laughed. She pulled the blanket up higher around herself, the cool evening air wrapping around them.

"Ya shouldn't have taken your jacket off if you're gonna sit here shivering and turning blue, genius," Faith said, inching closer to Buffy to help warm her up.

Fact of the matter was, Buffy always took her jacket off before she sat down. She knew that she'd get cold, but she also knew that the blanket was warm, and that Faith wouldn't let her get too cold before moving closer to help warm her up.

Buffy thought about that very fact as she sat there, feeling Faith's warm body pressed against her side. Why was she always subconsciously trying to get Faith closer to her? And why hadn't she realized it before that very night?

"Whoa," Buffy said, not realizing that she'd said it aloud until she felt Faith look over at her.

"What?" Faith asked, her brows furrowed as she watched Buffy's face.

"Oh, uh . . . nothing. Just thinking," Buffy answered, shaking her head slightly.

"Aww, come on B," Faith said with a smile. "Don't sit there and violate me in your mind and then clam up about it. Spill."

Buffy smiled and looked down at her beer bottle. "No, really, I was just thinking. Just about . . . stuff."

"Yeah, stuff," Faith said, looking at her own beer bottle. "I've gotta ask, Buffy, cos it's gonna drive me nuts if I don't," she paused, trying to find the right words, "what we saw today in the other dimension . . . is it gonna make things weird between us? Cos I really don't want that. What happened there can stay there, yunno? I don't wanna go back to being all angsty with you and stuff."

Buffy smiled a little and looked over at Faith, noticing how nervous she'd suddenly become.

"No, no weirdness. We've had too many years of badness and weirdness. There's no reason to get hung up on it again. What happens in other worlds doesn't affect what happens in this one. Right?" She asked quietly.

"Yeah, definitely," Faith said, nodding her head.

More comfortable silence passed between them as they both gazed up at the setting sun yet again. Buffy could tell that something was still on Faith's mind though, seeing as that she couldn't stop bouncing her knee up and down.

"Faith?" Buffy asked, then indicated her bouncing knee. "If there's something on your mind, just say it. I think we've already established that we're okay with the whole deal."

"Okay," Faith said, taking a deep breath. "I don't know about you, but I'm just sittin here, wondering over and over in my mind if that's how we are in all the other dimensions. I mean . . . is that how we're supposed to be?"

"I don't know," Buffy answered truthfully. "I think that things happen for a reason. We write our own destinies."

Faith sighed and shook her head, obviously feeling a bit frustrated. "So I guess that if we were supposed to be together here like in the other world, I screwed it all up then. I've always been a fuck up, yunno?" she asked with a chuckle, not really expecting a reply.

"We all make mistakes, Faith. God knows I've made more than I care to think about," Buffy said and paused for a few moments. "I guess that when it comes down to it, it doesn't matter what we did in the past. We're here where we are now, and . . . I like where we are. We're friends. My life is good. I can't say that I'd go back and change things, because I don't know that it would bring me back to this place, you know?"

"Yeah," Faith answered quietly. A full minute passed before she said, "But don't you wonder if it could be even better?"

Their eyes met and they just stared at one another, more silent questions passing between them. They were pulled from their thoughts, however, when the back door of Buffy's house opened up and Dawn walked out.

"Hey Buffy, I was thinking about making some dinner . . . are you hungry?"

Buffy turned her head and smiled at Dawn, "Yeah. Why don't you go see what we can make and I'll be inside in a sec?"

"Okay," Dawn said somewhat cheerfully and walked back into the house.

"Duty calls," she said with a small smile as she stood up from the couch. She placed the blanket back down and looked over to Faith, who was busy trying to avoid looking at her. Buffy couldn't help but notice how affected by everything Faith appeared just then.

"Hey," she said quietly, making Faith look at her. "It wasn't your fault, Faith . . . the past. You didn't wreck anything, and we're happy now, right?"

Faith nodded her head, but still looked troubled. Buffy couldn't stop herself as she leaned down to give Faith a comforting kiss on the top of her head, but she froze as Faith looked up and she found herself face to face with the girl.

They gazed deeply into one another's eyes, searching for answers, searching for something, and Buffy didn't even realize that she had moved closer until she felt her lips brush softly over Faith's.

The kiss was soft and chaste, lips not moving but lingering for several seconds. When Buffy felt Faith's soft breath on her face, she pulled back and closed her eyes, willing her body to move but was seemingly stuck in place.

A moment or two later, she stood up fully and opened her eyes to see Faith staring up at her, a million questions in her eyes.

"Goodnight," Buffy said, walking quickly into her house before giving Faith the chance to say anything.

"Yeah, night," Faith said to no one in particular, seeing that Buffy's door was already closed. She slouched back further against the couch, letting out a deep breath as she ran a hand through her hair.

She hadn't expected that – any of that. Not the conversation they had, not how open she had been despite her paralyzing fear of scaring Buffy off, and certainly not the kiss that they had shared. To be perfectly honest, she didn't know why she had looked up when Buffy leaned down to kiss her head. It was almost involuntary now that she thought about it; as soon as she had felt Buffy getting closer to her, she'd looked up and into her eyes.

The almost scary part was that she didn't initiate the kiss. Faith had sat there unmoving, gazing up into Buffy's green eyes trying to figure out something; trying to find the proverbial needle in the haystack, hidden under their many years of angst and emotional baggage. And she saw it; for the briefest moment, she saw a glimmer of hope that maybe Buffy was thinking the same thought that she was thinking, feeling what she was feeling.

And then the kiss. Oh god, the kiss. Faith brought her fingertips up to her still tingling lips as she recalled it. She had never been kissed like that; soft and slow and not asking for anything more than just the moment that they were stealing together.

Faith closed her eyes, letting the memory of the kiss wash over her again and again as she pressed her fingertips softly against her lips.

She didn't want to open her eyes. She didn't want to come back down to the place where Buffy had just kissed her and there would be residual awkwardness. And most importantly, after the conversation they had just had, she didn't want to spend the rest of her life wondering what she had messed up and what they could have had together.

However, as much as she didn't want to come back to reality, Faith realized that she couldn't sit on the back porch with her eyes closed forever. After a few more moments passed, she opened her eyes to see Buffy's jacket laying across the wicker table. She leaned forward and took it in her hands, ready to return it to the girl.

"Hey B," she began as she stood with the jacket in her hands, but she quickly stopped when she felt something in the jacket. Cautiously, she reached her hand into the pocket of the thin jacket and pulled out the orb and the scrap of paper.

She held the items in her hand and just stared down at them, her head tilted to the side in concentration. She stole a quick glance at the back door of Buffy's house, then back at her hand.

"Fuck this," Faith said as she dropped Buffy's jacket back onto the table and stood up fully, clutching the orb and scrap of paper in her hand.

She made her way into her own house and into the living room where she grabbed the denim jacket that she had been wearing earlier. In a swift move, she put the jacket on and pulled her hair form the back of it, a look of determination on her face.

"Okay, you can do this, Faith. It's just Latin," she said as she strained to read the piece of paper, the orb in her other hand. "Peterface porta."

She waited for several seconds, but nothing happened.

"Okay, how about . . . Peterfice porta?"

Again, nothing happened.

"No? No. Okay," she said with a sigh. "Peterfish porta?"

Still, nothing.

"Fucking Latin. No wonder it's a dead fucking language. Work with me here, Peter!" she said, frustrated.

"What are you doing?" came a voice from behind her.

Faith spun around to see Buffy standing there with her jacket in her hands looking slightly confused.

Buffy held up her jacket for Faith to see.

"I forgot my jacket," she said with a slightly uncomfortable smile. "Your door was open and I heard you talking to . . . well, Peter, I thought."

Faith sighed again, obviously agitated.

"Yeah, well . . . he's not cooperating."

"So I can see," Buffy said, trying to hide her amusement from Faith's words. "Faith," she began but paused before taking a few steps closer, "what are you doing?" Her voice was soft and gentle, not at all trying to sound accusatory or upset.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" Faith asked, knowing fully well that she didn't have to explain her actions. Buffy knew.

"Faith, you . . ." Buffy began, but Faith immediately interrupted her.

"I can't not know, B. I can't sit here and pretend to get on with my life if this isn't the way that it's supposed to be going."

Buffy took a deep breath and exhaled, turning her head to gaze at some random place in the room.

"Listen, you don't ever have to know," Faith continued. "You can go on with your life and be happy, and I'll be happy for you. I will, I swear. But I've gotta know. I'm sorry, B, but I can't wonder about it for the rest of my life."

She stood and waited for some kind of response from Buffy; any little sign that she wasn't going to freak out or kick her ass, or even worse – push her out of her life.

After a minute or so passed, Buffy finally looked back at Faith and held out her hand. Faith looked down at the proffered hand, then back up into Buffy's eyes.

"You didn't let me finish before," Buffy said quietly. "You can't go alone. It only works if we say it together."

Faith furrowed her brow a bit when she realized that Buffy was offering to go with her.

"You . . . you're gonna come with?" Faith asked, confused. "Just like that, you're gonna tag along?"

Buffy shrugged her shoulders.

"Willow said that the portals would be open through midnight, we'd just have to summon them if needed. I guess that if we're ever gonna find out, now's the time to do it."

"Are you sure, B? I don't want you to do something you'll regret, especially if you're doing it just to keep me from kicking Peter's ass," Faith joked, trying to lighten up the tense atmosphere around them.

Buffy merely walked closer and took Faith's hand in hers, confirming her decision to go with her.

"I don't want to wonder forever either," she said quietly, before pulling her gaze away from Faith's. She took the paper from Faith's free hand and looked down at the words, reading them aloud so that Faith could copy them.

"Patefacio porta," she said, then looked up to see if Faith heard and understood.

"Ahh, patefacio," Faith said. "So Peter's off the hook then. Lucky for him."

Buffy smiled softly before letting a determined look come over her face. "Ready?" she asked.

Faith nodded, and then they said the words together, their hands joined tightly around the small orb. It only took a second or two for a whirly white portal to open up, just as it had done before.

"Let's do this," Faith said as she stared into the white light, her eyes squinting.

A moment later, they took their first step through the portal and into another dimension. When the white light faded and the atmosphere settled, Buffy and Faith looked around, their eyes wide.

"I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," Buffy whispered, her eyes fixated on the space just in front of them.

The obvious commotion of the portal opening and closing caused the large Tyrannosaurus Rex before them to look their way, his pupils dilating as he detected their subtle movements.

"Oh shit," Faith said, preparing to be dinosaur dinner.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Buffy and Faith stood looking at the dinosaur before them, a look of fear and surprise written across their faces. Their hands were still clasped tightly together, and that was probably the only thing keeping them planted firmly in place instead of running off in opposite directions.

"Holy shit, you took us to Jurassic Park!" Faith said under her breath, trying her best not to move.

"First, Jurassic Park is a movie, not a real place. Secondly, shut up, I did not. The spell only opens portals to Sunnydale; it doesn't move us to different locations or forward and backward in time. We're obviously in some kind of Sunnydale where dinosaurs are the par. Thirdly, stop blaming me; you probably screwed it up with your ode to Peter. Fourthly . . . there, should be running. Why aren't we running?" Buffy asked in a hushed tone, her eyes never leaving the large dinosaur that was busy sniffing and grunting at them.

"Didn't you see the movie, B? He's a T-Rex; he can't see us if we don't move."

Buffy scoffed and glanced over at Faith.

"So we just sit here and wait for him to go about his dino-business?"

"Unless you got a better plan, yeah," Faith said with a barely noticeable shrug.

"Great," Buffy said as dramatically as possible without raising her voice. "Let's just wait for him to realize he's late for his luncheon at the Hilton."

"Shhhh," Faith hushed, giving Buffy's hand a squeeze.

As if on cue, the dinosaur chose that moment to bellow loudly, baring his razor sharp teeth. Without warning, he began to close the distance between them, his massive weight making the earth shake.

"I thought you said he can't see us if we don't move," Buffy said as panic began to set in.

Faith gripped her hand tightly and began to run, pulling Buffy along behind her.

"Steven Spielberg is a lying sack of shit!" Faith yelled as they ducked and weaved between trees and under vines, large leaves smacking them as they ran.

The T-Rex gave chase, plowing into branches and knocking over trees as if they were made of paper. He howled again and again, his roar deafeningly loud.

"He's probably telling the other dinosaurs that dinner is on the run!" Buffy exclaimed as they ran, using her free arm to shield her face from the flying branches. She felt a sense of relief as they hit a small clearing, but then panic set in as Faith turned them right around and ran them back into the jungle.

"Are you crazy?!?" Buffy asked, trying to pull her hand free from Faith's unyielding grip. "That monster is still in there, and he probably has a bunch of friends with him now, running after us with little salt and pepper shakers."

Faith held tight to Buffy's hand, determination written across her now dirty face.

"We gotta get back to the place we landed if we wanna get outta here, right?"

"Yes, but if you haven't noticed, it's smack dab in the middle of Carnivore Deli," Buffy responded, breathing raggedly.

"Right, so we led him outta the jungle, and now all we gotta do is get back there before he does," Faith explained, then quickly picked up the pace as she heard loud crashing not far behind them.

Faith followed the trail of broken limbs and branches back to where they started and stopped, panting heavily as she and Buffy looked around.

"This look like the place?" Faith asked, trying hard to look for signs that it indeed was.

Buffy looked around, trying to catch her breath.

"It looks like every other spot that we just ran past." A loud roar sounded from pretty close behind them and they felt the earth shaking again. Buffy stood up straight, trying to pay close attention to the details. "Yeah, I guess it could be. It is. I think it is."

Faith grabbed the orb from Buffy and nodded her head, and they both spoke the words together. Moments later, a large white portal opened before them.

"Damn I'm good," Faith said with a grin. She began to take a step forward, but was pulled back just in time by Buffy as the T-Rex swooped in her path.

Buffy wrapped her arms around Faith and threw them both to the ground, letting the dinosaur's momentum carry him past. As quickly as they had landed, Buffy had them standing again. She launched them forward and into the portal just as the T-Rex made a second pass at them.

The portal shimmered and closed around them, leaving a slightly dazed and confused dinosaur stood behind in its wake. He sniffed and grunted, trying to figure out exactly where they had disappeared to.

"Aatu!" A gruff voice called from behind him. A moment later, two figures walked out from behind the trees, hand in hand.

"Aatu," cave-Buffy said with a smile as she approached the large dinosaur. He lowered his head and let her approach, a happy rumble emitting from his throat.

"Aatu, good Aatu," cave-Faith said as she approached him as well, patting her hand on his side.

Cave-Buffy and cave-Faith smiled at one another then and joined hands, walking back amongst the trees. Aatu stood tall and followed them, the perfect happy family.

* * *

Buffy and Faith landed with a thud among more trees, a much rougher landing than they were expecting. Faith managed to cover her face as they tumbled over, but Buffy wasn't as lucky and a large branch clipped her on the mouth.

"Oww," Buffy complained as she sat upright, wiping away the blood from the cut on her lower lip.

Faith looked over and in an instant she was at Buffy's side checking her over.

"Nice landing, ya klutz," Faith said as she held Buffy's face softly in her hands, inspecting her injured lip.

"Sorry, I was too busy saving your ass from the giant dinosaur to worry about a 'perfect ten' landing," Buffy said with a grin, then grimaced as her lip split more. "Again, I repeat: Oww."

"Take it easy ya big baby," Faith said, smiling lightly. She reached down and ripped off a strip of fabric from the bottom of her shirt, making sure it was clean before she dabbed at Buffy's lip with it. "Anyone ever tell ya that ya have pretty lips, B?"

"I've never had any complaints about them," Buffy said, fighting her smile.

"Certainly not from me," Faith said, smiling lightly as she remembered the soft feel of them against her lips.

They looked at one another in the eyes then and fell deep into the silence of unspoken words. Faith continued to dab at Buffy's lip which had stopped bleeding already. Buffy leaned her face ever so subtly into Faith's hand, causing a million little butterflies to flutter in Faith's stomach.

And then a banana flew from out of nowhere and smacked Faith in the side of the head.

"Umm, what the hell?" Faith asked as she looked at the banana and rubbed the side of her head. Another banana came barreling at them and Buffy and Faith looked up into the trees to see a group of monkeys there, jumping around and razzing them.

"I guess me takin us to the Planet of the Apes kinda cancels out you takin us to Jurassic Park," Faith said as she started up at the rambunctious monkeys.

"It's not the Planet of the Apes," Buffy said as she looked from the monkeys down to her rumpled clothes. She tried her best to straighten them out, but she was a mess.

When Faith scoffed in disbelief, Buffy looked at her to see her pointing up to the monkeys on the branch.

Buffy just rolled her eyes and pointed between the trees to a sign that read: Sunnydale Zoo Chimpanzee Exhibit.

"Of course," Faith said, rolling her shoulders. "I knew that."

"Of course," Buffy copied, hiding her smile.

Luckily, they were able to find an unlocked fence and they made their way out of the exhibit and into the heart of Sunnydale. They figured that their best bet was to check Buffy's old house on Revello Drive and to go from there.

Unfortunately, when they made their way to the old house, it was occupied by a family that neither of them recognized. They meandered around for a while, peeking into random windows before agreeing to check other familiar places.

While Faith didn't want to check her old apartment that the Mayor had given her, Buffy insisted that it was a viable location. Faith had too many bad memories of that place and time, and she didn't want Buffy reliving them. Anything that might put a hamper on their friendship was bad in her eyes. She knew that she had changed, but that didn't change the fact that she was still ashamed of many of her past choices.

They climbed the fire escape up to the apartment and perched outside the window ledge.

"I'm gettin extra buzzyness here," Faith said, her eyes closed. "The other you is defo in there."

Buffy didn't need to close her eyes to feel the other Faith. Ever since Faith had told her about their connection and Buffy had felt it, there was no denying that she could feel the girl. It was a buzz that was always there, but she had never paid attention to it before.

"So is the other you," Buffy said, stealing one last glance at Faith before looking away. "But for all we know, they could be in there with friends, or watching TV or something."

She put her hands on the window ledge and peeked inside, looking for signs of their other selves.

Faith grinned, her eyes remaining closed as she focused her senses.

"Nope, I'm pretty sure we're not watching TV," she said, an almost smug look on her face.

"What, you see us? Where?" Buffy asked, bobbing her head around to get a better look.

"Nope, I hear us," Faith said, finally opening her eyes and looking over to Buffy.

"And?" Buffy asked, looking over to Faith with an expectant look upon her face.

"And I'm violating you ten ways from Tuesday and you're lovin every minute of it," Faith said, and couldn't help but laugh at the mortified look on Buffy's face.

"We are not!" Buffy said, closing her eyes and focusing her slayer hearing.

"Ya can open your eyes, B. No need for slayer hearing; can hear us clear as day without it," Faith chuckled.

"I have to say . . . the other us?" Buffy began and Faith nodded, waiting for Buffy to finish, "They're uber with the horny. First the groping, now the almost sex show."

"Seems like we can't keep our hands off each other," Faith said more seriously.

"Maybe," Buffy said, sitting down with her back against the brick wall. "But it could be a fluke. Two parallel dimensions don't mean we're the same in all of them."

Faith shrugged in response.

"We still have time to hit up a few more."

"Okay, but if we find the other us in a compromising position in the next dimension, I'm gonna douse them with the watering hose. A cool shower never hurt anyone," Buffy said as she stood up and made her way to the metal steps.

"Repress, repress, repress," Faith said with a grin as she followed Buffy, not at all worried about the glares Buffy was shooting at her.

They made their way back into the zoo unscathed and managed to avoid the night security guard as they huddled together in the bushes. Buffy was caught off-guard when Faith's hand shot out into the air above them, but laughed when Faith brought it back down holding a banana.

"Those guys are really looking to get a beat down," Faith said as she glared up at them.

The monkeys screeched and jumped around, and one took that opportunity to blow a loud raspberry at Faith, who returned the gesture in kind.

"That's mature," Buffy said, once again hiding her smile.

"No one throws a banana at me and gets away with it," Faith grumbled.

"Bananas. Plural."

Faith reared back, ready to throw the banana back at the monkeys, but a soft hand on her arm stopped her. Faith rolled her eyes and tossed the banana down on the ground, not wanting to upset Buffy with random banana tossing.

They joined hands and said the phrase together, and the large swirly portal opened before them. Faith made sure to cast a menacing glance back at the monkeys before they stepped through and into another dimension.

Their landing was much more graceful this time, except for the banana that followed them through the portal and knocked Faith in the back of the head. She turned around, ready to hop back through and deliver some monkey carnage, but the portal had already closed, leaving her stuck there without her revenge.

Instead of making a further scene, she took the banana and tucked it safely in her coat pocket, earning a questioning look from Buffy.

"We get back to Cleveland? I'm making a trip to the zoo. Those monkey punks have no idea what they're in for."

Buffy simply chuckled and rolled her eyes as both girls took in their new surroundings. They were in an alley of some sorts, dumpsters and trash cans lining the sides of the narrow way. One of the dumpsters had "Willy's" printed it, and both Buffy and Faith instantly knew where they were.

"I'd complain about landing in a stinky alley, but at least there are no dinosaurs or monkeys this time," Buffy said as she let go of Faith's hand and tucked the orb back in her jacket pocket.

They made their way to the end of the alley and peeked out into the street, checking out the situation. It was just after dusk and people were walking up and down the streets, heading home from work or going to their places of weekend entertainment.

Knowing that they were safe from any immediate harm, Buffy took a step out into the street when she felt Faith's hand pulling her back. Their bodies collided together as Faith pulled them against the wall, just in time to see the other Buffy and Faith walking by the alley with some grocery bags in hand.

"Close call," Faith said as she watched their doppelgangers walk by, oblivious. She still held tight to Buffy, who was busy trying not to blush at her near slip-up.

"Thanks," Buffy said quietly, watching Faith's face as Faith looked out into the street.

"Yeah, no problem," Faith said absently. "Do they look couply to you?" Faith asked, watching the fading forms of their other selves disappear down the street.

"Who?" Buffy asked, confused. Finally she realized who Faith meant and she shook her head, clearing her thoughts. "Oh, umm . . . I don't know. grocery shopping doesn't exactly indicate coupledom. Willow and I grocery shop together all the time."

Faith nodded her head in agreement.

"Right. So, we follow them then. See where they're goin and what they do when they get there."

"Sounds good to me," Buffy said, her attention once again focusing on the way Faith's body felt pressed against hers.

Faith finally prized her eyes from the street and back to Buffy, instantly noticing how their girl was looking at her and the way Buffy's hands were gently clasped around her biceps.

"B?" Faith asked, trying to figure out exactly what was going on. She wanted to get down to exactly what was going on in Buffy's head, but she also knew that if they lost their other selves, there was a chance they wouldn't find them before they had to leave.

When Buffy didn't say anything, Faith tried again.

"B . . . Buffy? Not that I'm not enjoyin this, but we have to go after them before they get away from us."

"Oh right," Buffy said, shaking her head again as she let go of Faith's biceps. "Sorry, I was in Buffy-world again. It's a happy place," she said, trying to make a joke.

"Am I there?" Faith asked, half-joking but serious at the same time.

Buffy held Faith's gaze for a few seconds before changing the subject.

"Hey, don't we have some people to be stalking?"

"We sure do," Faith said with a grin. She finally let go of Buffy and turned, stepping out into the street to locate where their other selves had gone to. Luckily, she spotted them just before they turned a corner. "There they go. Come on, we've gotta catch up."

A short walk later, Buffy and Faith watched as their other selves entered a small ranch house together. They snuck around the side of the house and peered through a kitchen window, watching as the other Buffy and Faith put the groceries away together. The other girls chased each other around the kitchen, tickling and grabbing and pinching, laughing the whole while.

"Looks like another case of the uber hornies," Buffy whispered to Faith, her eyes focused on the two girls in the kitchen.

"Maybe," Faith said, watching as closely as Buffy was. "I dunno, though. They have this house together, and . . . yeah, I dunno. They look really happy, B."

"Yeah," Buffy said as she watched the two girls disappear from the kitchen and into another room. "They're on the move," she said excitedly. "Come on, we've gotta find where they are."

She grabbed Faith's arm and pulled her along the side of the house toward another window.

"I dunno about you, but I think I'm kinda convinced on this one, B," Faith said, draggin her feet as they walked along. "Kinda obvious we're together here, no reason to snoop around if we've already witnessed the show."

"The only thing we know for sure is that we can't keep our hands off each other. Wandering hands don't exactly equal a relationship. I mean, if that's the case, I'd have to call my ordeal with Spike a relationship, and that just wasn't the . . . case," Buffy explained, her voice trailing off as they finally reached the window and looked inside.

Buffy and Faith peered inside the window, blank expressions on their faces as they witnessed their other selves cuddled up on the couch together. The other Buffy was laying back on the couch and the other Faith was laying mostly on top of her, her head resting on Buffy's chest. The other Buffy kept leaning down and kissing the top of Faith's head as Faith flicked through the TV channels, finally stopping on some random show.

Their doppelgangers looked perfectly happy, perfectly at peace, and most of all, perfectly in love. Buffy and Faith may have been able to pass off their relationships in the other dimensions they'd visited as something purely physical, purely sexual, but there was no escaping what was right in front of their faces this time around.

"I think I'm ready to go," Buffy said quietly, her eyes still fixed on the display before them.

"Yeah," Faith agreed, nodding her head slightly. "Me too."

They left the small house and walked back towards the center of town, neither girl saying a word to one another. Seeing their other selves in that situation – in love – had really thrown them for a loop. They'd been able to deal when they had seen their other selves having what seemed to be only a physical relationship in the other worlds, but a loving relationship seemed to really affect them.

Now it seemed that not only were they together in most of these other dimensions . . . but they were in love in them -- in some form or another – as well.

Understandably, it was a lot of information to digest at once, especially given their history together.

When they finally reached the alleyway, Buffy held the orb in one hand and silently held the other out to Faith. Faith reached out to take Buffy's hand, but she pulled it back when a realization hit her.

"Wait . . . how are we supposed to get home?" she asked, looking at Buffy with her eyebrows furrowed.

"We hold hands and say _patefacio porta_, remember?" Buffy reminded Faith.

Faith shook her head.

"It's not gonna work, B. We've been doing that every time we jump dimensions and we always end up in someplace new. How do we get back to our own world?"

Buffy scratched her head, a look of slight worry on her face.

"I don't know. Willow must've rigged it so that we automatically came back where we started. I don't think the spell she used was meant for us to be hopping around like this.

"So what you're saying is that this wasn't the best planned trip. Yeah, I'm right there with ya," Faith said, running a hand through her hair. "Shit."

"It's okay," Buffy assured. "We've been stuck in worse situations than this before and we always find a way. We just have to put our heads together and think this through."

Faith glanced down at her watch as Buffy spoke, her eyes instantly widening.

"Well, whatever we decide, we have about 25 minutes before midnight and the portals close for good. Get thinkin, B . . . you're the brains, I'm the brawn."

"Ughh," Buffy sighed as she rubbed her temples with her fingertips. "Think, Buffy, think. What would Willow do?" she asked herself.

As if on cue, Buffy and Faith looked up at one another with hopeful expressions on their faces.

"Willow!" They said at the same time.

They quickly made their way through the town, heading to the one place they knew that Willow might be: The Magic Box. When they arrived at the shop, they held their breaths as they walked in the front door, the door chime alerting their presence.

A wave of relief washed over them as they saw a familiar redhead stood behind the counter, filing away some books. She turned her head in their direction when she heard the bell chime.

"Oh hey!" The other Willow said cheerily as she turned to fully face them. "You guys look . . . different. Not…not in a bad way. Just in a …. dirty way. Was their an accident?" she asked as she took in their disheveled appearances.

"Accident?" Oh, no," Buffy answered. "Just been a long day of . . . house work. And . . . stuff."

"Yeah, stuff," Faith answered with an enthusiastic nod.

"Oh right, stuff," the other Willow said with a knowing grin. "I won't ask. So, what brings my two favorite girls to the Magic Box?"

Buffy and Faith looked at one another, and Buffy decided to take the lead. She hoped that her best friend was the same Willow, no matter which dimension they were in.

"So, Faith and I were having a discussion earlier," Buffy began.

"A hypothetical discussion," Faith interrupted.

"Right, a hypothetical discussion," Buffy corrected herself, "about other dimensions and traveling throughout them."

"Ooh, magic stuff," Willow said with a smile. "Of course, inter-dimensional travel has really been cut down with the rarity of gateway orbs. It's nearly impossible to conjure them up these days because of the shortage of ingredients."

"Oh yeah, totally," Buffy said in agreement, earning a slight glare from Faith. "So, anyway, we were talking about how to get back to your original dimension once you were done portal hopping. Faith thought that you just had to click your heels three times and say 'there's no place like home', but I told her that you have to hold hands and say 'patefacio porta'. Who would win our hypothetical argument?" Buffy asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Willow frowned slightly. "Well, I guess you'd be right, Buffy. But that's only if you were traveling alone. The usual 'patefacio porta' chant only works while traveling solo."

"What if someone like me and B were to try to get home from some random dimension?" Faith asked, her eyebrows furrowed a bit.

"I guess that . . ." Willow began and paused, trying to figure out the dilemma, ". . . well, if it was the two of you, you would have to copy your last intimate gesture before you last left your own dimension. A hug, a soft caress, a kiss . . . the last intimate gesture that you shared. You'd just have to hold the orb together and repeat the gesture. That ought to do it."

Faith grinned.

"So what if we were fucking before we got portal-hoppy?"

Willow cleared her throat and tried to hide her embarrassment.

"I wouldn't put it past the two of you," she said with a smile. "Well, you'd have to . . . you know . . . do it, while holding the orb. Your energy together would open the portal back home, or at least it should. You'd end up where you were last standing together."

"Great," Buffy said with a small smile. She looked down at her watch and noticed that they had about five minute left to get back home. "And on that note, we have to get home. Lots of stuff to do."

"Of course," Willow said with a smile. "I'm sure you have lots of stuff to finish up for the engagement party next weekend."

"Oh, right. The engagement party," Buffy said, shaking her head. "Who was that for again?"

Willow laughed as she looked between Faith and Buffy.

"You two really are acting strange tonight. It's your engagement party, silly," she said, indicating the two of them with a wave of her hand.

"Right," Buffy said slowly. "The party for my engagement to . . . Faith."

Faith simply raised an eyebrow, then glanced over to Buffy.

"Yep, that's right. So we really gotta run now, B. Lotsa preparations to make." Without another word, she took Buffy's hand, gave a big fake smile to the other Willow, and led them out of the shop and back toward the alley behind Willy's.

"Wow," Buffy said, barely paying attention to where they were walking as Faith pulled her along.

"You can say that again," Faith mumbled.

When they finally reached the alley with two minutes to spare, the girls stopped and faced one another, looking everywhere but at one another.

"Okaaaaay, intimate gesture. We held hands," Buffy said with a nod.

"Not gonna work, B. Been there, done that, have the concussion from a banana to prove it," Faith explained.

"What then?" Buffy asked.

Faith paused for a moment before clearing her throat.

"Kiss. We have to kiss," she said, still avoiding looking at Buffy. She glanced at her watch and said, "and we have to do it fast, cos we've got less than a minute here."

Buffy sighed, but knew that it had to be done. She couldn't listen to her conflicting emotions or take time to rationalize anything. The only way they were getting home was via a kiss.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the orb, then took a few tentative steps toward Faith.

Faith took the last few steps, taking hold of Buffy's hand. Before either of them could hesitate, Faith leaned in and brushed her lips softly against Buffy's. The kiss started off mechanical, as if they were being forced to make out with the social leper at a 6th grade party. But as a white light appeared and began to swirl around them, the kiss grew into something soft and deep and more than either of them were willing to concede.

They continued to kiss, lips nipping and sucking, bodies pressing closer and closer together as the seconds ticked by.

Neither Buffy or Faith were aware of how long they had been stood there kissing when they finally realized that they were back in Faith's living room. Buffy disentangled her hand from Faith's and put the orb back in her pocket. When she went to pull back, she felt Faith wrap her arms around her back and pull her closer, kissing her deeper but just as softly as before.

She couldn't help the moan that escaped her as Faith kissed her more soft and delicately then she'd ever imagined possible . . . and just when had she ever let herself imagine kissing Faith? The very question elicited a small squeal from herself as she finally managed to pull away from Faith's hungry lips.

They rested their foreheads together, breathing heavy as they tried to recuperate from the breathtakingly perfect kiss they'd shared.

"I have to go," Buffy said breathlessly, her eyes still closed.

"You could stay," Faith said, leaning forward to capture Buffy's lips again, but Buffy was quick enough to pull back this time.

"I really can't," Buffy said, looking a bit dazed. "It's all a bit much, I . . . I just need to clear my head."

With that, she offered Faith a small smile and headed out the front door, closing it quietly behind her. She needed to get away. She needed to think. She needed to deal with the harsh fact that maybe, just maybe, she and Faith really were meant to be together.

**TBC**


	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to those who have sent along their thoughts, I appreciate it a lot. :)

**Chapter Five**

Buffy crept back into her apartment as quietly as possible, not wanting to deal with a million questions from Dawn. Not only had she told her sister that she would finish making dinner once she grabbed her jacket from the back porch, but she also promised that she'd only be a minute.

That had been over four hours ago.

As often as weird things happened in their lives, she was pretty sure that Dawn wouldn't buy a story about a leprechaun or unicorn luring her away from the porch and into a magical place in the woods. After all, Buffy had used that excuse years earlier when she had just been called as a slayer and Dawn didn't believe her then, either.

She walked softly on the old wooden floorboards and peeked into the kitchen, noticing that the dishes were done and put away already. A note hung from the refrigerator, and as Buffy neared it, she saw only two words written in Dawn's handwriting on the tiny scrap of paper: You suck!

Buffy chuckled and shook her head lightly as she took the paper down and crumpled it up, throwing it easily into the garbage bin. With a sigh, she took once last glance around the dimly lit kitchen and turned off the small light for the night.

There was really no sense in going to sleep; Buffy knew that she'd be up over-thinking things and replaying events in her head for most of the night. Still, she climbed the stairs and headed to the quiet refuge of her bedroom, ready to lock herself away from the world at least until the morning.

She took a few minutes to wash up for bed before changing into a loose-fitting tee and a pair of shorts. For a few minutes she briefly entertained the notion of completing her nightly ritual of ab-crunches and stretches, but in the end, sheer mental and physical exhaustion won out and she collapsed onto her large cushy bed face down. She remained there for several minutes, completely sprawled out and basking in the way the soft blankets felt against her warm skin.

Without even knowing that she had been slowly drifting off into a light sleep, Buffy was startled awake by the buzzing of her cell phone resting on her nightstand. She pushed her mussed hair out of her face and picked up the small black phone, gazing at the caller ID screen.

_Faith. 555-5309_

She moved to put the phone back on her nightstand without answering it, but realized that even a simple action like that could turn their situation from weird to incredibly awkward and bad.

Taking a deep breath, she hit the 'send' button and lifted the phone up to her ear.

"Hey," she said softly, her tiredness obvious in her voice.

"Hey," Faith answered back from the other end of the line. "Sorry to bother ya. Was just kinda thinkin that if I didn't apologize, things might get weird. And I mean, I'm sure it's a bit weird already, but I dunno . . ."

"No, it's okay," Buffy interrupted, gently clearing her throat. "It's not weird. It's just . . . weird," she explained, confused by her own explanation more than Faith probably was.

"Yeah, I know what ya mean," Faith said quietly. "But . . . so, yeah. I'm sorry I dragged you along with me, B. Not sure what good it did for us to see all that."

"Oh," Buffy said, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh?" Faith asked, copying Buffy.

"Uh, yeah. I thought you were apologizing for the . . . the after. The after of the portal hopping."

"The after?" Faith asked, but finally realized what Buffy meant. "Ohh, right. The kiss. Nah, I'm not sorry about that, B."

"Oh," Buffy said again, her brows still knitted together. She wasn't exactly sure how to take what Faith had said.

"I mean, I'm sorry if you didn't enjoy it or if my breath was kickin or whatever, but . . . no, I'm not really sorry for doing it. I've felt lotsa wrong things in my life, and that wasn't one of 'em. Guess I'm kinda wiggin a bit here cos it felt pretty damn right, in fact, and I was kinda wonderin how it felt for you."

"Oh," Buffy repeated herself yet again as she rolled onto her back and took a deep breath.

"You stuck on 'skip', B, or do ya got any other kinda response lost in there somewhere?" Faith asked lightheartedly.

"I'm just . . . my mind is all boggled right now, Faith," Buffy explained, cupping one of her hands over her forehead. "I really don't know how I feel. Everything just seems really sudden, yet not. Does that . . . am I making any sense right now?"

"Yeah," Faith answered after a brief silence. "I'm all ears if ya wanna try to make some sense of it all."

"I don't think I can right now," Buffy said with a weak smile as she let her hand rub over her face. "I need some serious time for thinkage, and possibly best-friendage."

"Oh," Faith said, her voice a bit higher than usual. "Yeah, that's cool. Do what ya gotta do. But, whenever you're ready to talk or whatever, well . . . you know where I live," she said with a small chuckle.

Buffy smiled.

"Thanks. And we will. Talk, I mean. We'll talk."

A few minutes of silence passed, neither girl saying anything, before Faith finally spoke up again.

"Okay. Well . . . night then."

"Night, Faith," Buffy said softly before clicking the small phone closed and placing it back on her nightstand.

She sat in silence for a few minutes, staring up at nothing in particular. After a brief debate with herself, she reached over and grabbed her phone again, dialing a familiar number. Four rings later, a sleepy Willow answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Willow, it's me. And before you ask, everything's okay and the world is still safe. I was just wondering if you could maybe meet me for lunch tomorrow . . . have some high-quality Buffy and Willow time?"

A brief silence ensued before Willow answered.

"You're wigging out about the Buffy and Faith smoochage in the other dimension, aren't you?"

"You've got it in one, Wills," Buffy said with a smile. "So . . . the café on Walden Park at 11:30 sound okay?"

"Sure thing, Buff," Willow said sleepily. "Night."

"Night."

Buffy put the phone back on the nightstand and turned off the lamp before crawling under the blankets. She laid back and pulled them up over her head, safe from the world in her own little cocoon of blankets, but not safe from her wandering thoughts.

* * *

Somehow, Buffy had managed to sleep past her normal waking time at the crack of dawn and managed a nice lie-in. It felt good to sleep after laying awake with her thoughts for most of the night, but she nearly kicked herself when she woke up and saw her alarm clock reading 11:00am, mocking her in her lateness. 

She didn't have time to shower and get to the café on time to meet Willow, so she instead opted to brush her hair and toss it in a big ponytail before getting dressed. She tried to be as quiet as possible while getting ready as she didn't want to let on to Dawn that she was awake; there was no way she had time to answer a whole slew of questions about where she was and what had happened.

Buffy opened her bedroom door quietly and peeked into the hallway, making sure it was free of annoying teenage sisters. Seeing that the coast was clear, she hurried out of her room and down the stairs to come face-to-face with a grinning Faith sat at her kitchen table.

"Oh, hey," she said hurriedly as she hopped around trying to get her sneakers on. "Was I supposed to . . .?"

"No, no," Faith said quickly as she sipped her coffee. "Was hanging out with Dawnie – who says you suck, by the way – and when she left to meet her friends at the mall she said that I could hang if I wanted."

"And here you are," Buffy said with a crooked smile as she fumbled around looking for her keys.

"And here I am," Faith answered. "Guess I was hoping to see you, maybe have that talk . . ."

"Oh," Buffy said, finally slowing down enough to look at Faith for a moment. "I kinda have plans with Willow, and I was just leaving to meet her for lunch. Well, soon as I find my keys, anyway." She opened up the breadbox as she finished, hoping to find her keys sparkling at her from within it, but groaned when she found it completely empty.

When she managed to glance back at Faith, she saw her keys dangling from the brunette's hand.

"You mean these keys?" Faith asked with a grin.

Buffy tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you holding my keys hostage for any reason in particular?"

"Nope," Faith said easily. "You left them hanging outta your front door last night, I saw them when I went for my morning jog. I may've saved you from getting burgled, B. I'm thinkin you owe me, big time."

Buffy crossed her arms across her chest, almost forgetting that things were supposed to be awkward. There wasn't supposed to be easy banter and fun until she got her head straight.

"How big are we talking about here?" she asked, fighting back her grin.

"Big big. I'm thinking that it's something I'm gonna have to discuss and negotiate with you. Might have to do it over dinner."

Buffy's eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

"Dinner? As in . . . a date?" she asked, eyes still wide.

"Sure," Faith said with a shrug, still grinning a little. "What harm could it do, B?"

"Harm? Not much. Except for making my head even more boggley. I . . ." she looked down at her watch and realized that she had about ten minutes to get to the café, which was about twenty minutes away, ". . . am so late. Listen . . . Will and I are gonna do some talking, and then maybe you and I can do some talking, okay?"

She took a tentative step forward and held out her hand for her keys, and Faith laid them gently in her hand, their fingers touching ever-so-subtly.

"So you're shootin me down?" Faith asked with a grin, trying to hide her disappointment.

"At least for now," Buffy said with a small smile, but her face turned more serious after a moment. "I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's cool," Faith began, shaking her head. "I get it. Sorry I'm kinda pushin and stuff, I just wanna make sure you don't go runnin in the opposite direction of me or anything."

"I'm not going anywhere," Buffy said softly, smiling again. "Except for lunch with Willow, for which I'm gonna be so late. Typical Buffy fashion."

With that, she tuned and walked toward the door, giving Faith a small wave before making her way out of the house and to her car.

Oh yeah. She had lots of things to talk about with Willow.

* * *

Buffy practically ran up to the café having parked nearly three blocks away, sure that Willow had already gotten fed up and abandoned their lunch plans. She was shocked to see Willow casually walking up to the building at the same time, arriving nearly half an hour late as well. 

"Hey!" Buffy said, getting Willow's attention as they approached the entrance at the same time from opposite directions.

"Hey yourself," Willow said, startled as Buffy came barreling toward her and screeched to a halt a few paces away.

"You're late," Buffy said as she checked her watch for the hundredth time in the last five minutes.

"I'm right on time," Willow said with a knowing grin. "Buffy-time is always shifted by about half an hour. If you tell me 11:30, I show up at about five minutes before Noon. This way it looks like I was waiting for you the whole time, so you get the guilties and buy me dessert."

"Not anymore now that I know that," Buffy said with a mock glare. She and Willow shared a laugh and Buffy hooked her arm through Willow's, leading them into the café.

They took their time enjoying their lunch, chit-chatting about nothing in particular. Only after their plates were cleared away and their coffee and desserts were brought to them did Willow finally bring up the reason for their impromptu lunch date.

"So, are we gonna get to the good stuff, or do we keep skating around the subject until your legs get tired?" Willow asked before blowing into her large ceramic coffee mug and taking a cautious sip.

"I'm not sure I'll ever be ready," Buffy said with a nervous chuckle. "I don't really even know where to begin."

"Well," Willow began, "Why don't you start with the unedited story of what happened in the other dimension?"

"Which dimension?" Buffy asked guiltily.

"What do you mean? The dimension we sent you to, of course. Unless . . ." Willow paused as she thought to herself for a moment, ". . . we left the orb in your pocket. Did you use the orb in your pocket?"

"Well, not me, per se. More of an us. A 'Faith and I' us."

"But I thought that she was going for her Budweiser group therapy and that you were going to relax and wind down?" Willow asked, confused.

Buffy took a sip of her coffee and set the mug back down gingerly as she began her explanation.

"Well, that was the plan. Except we kind of did our nighttime ritual. I heard her out on the back porch and I went to join her. We had a beer, she told me that maybe we were supposed to be together in other dimensions too, she blamed herself for her past, I kissed her, and then I went inside."

Willow blinked a few times when she realized what Buffy had just admitted.

"You – you kissed Faith? On the lips?"

"On the lips," Buffy said with a nod, trying hard to read her best friend's reaction. "Lips of Buffy on lips of Faith."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

A few moments of silence passed by before Willow asked,

"Why?"

Buffy couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"I . . . I really don't know, Will. Faith and I, we've gotten so close since we moved here. I know most of you probably think it's kind of trippy given our past together, but once we got past it all, we just kind of . . . clicked. And it's great, cos we get along, and when everyone else is busy, the two of us can just hang out with Dawnie and it's comfortable, for lack of a better word."

"So, you kissed her because . . . it's comfortable?" Willow asked, not sure of Buffy's line of thought.

"Not exactly," Buffy said, shaking her head. "She really carries a lot of guilt about the past, understandably of course, and when she thought that it really was her fault that we're not together in this dimension if we're really supposed to be, I couldn't let her feel that guilt. She looked so sad, Wills. I just wanted to comfort her, and I went to give her a kiss on the head. But she looked up at me, and I looked into her eyes and I didn't even know that we'd kissed until I pulled back and closed my eyes."

"How did that feel for you?" Willow asked.

"I know I should say 'weird' or 'different', but it wasn't. It felt . . . I don't know; I guess it felt scarily normal." Buffy played nervously with her napkin, waiting for some type of response from her friend. Willow just smiled softly at her and urged her to continue, so she did. "Anyhow, I went inside, but I realized I'd left my jacket outside. When I went back out to get it, both the jacket and Faith were gone. I heard Faith from inside her house, so I walked in and found her trying to open a portal."

"She was trying to open a portal alone? Why? I don't get it." Willow asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah," Buffy replied evenly. "She said that she couldn't not know; that if we were together in other dimensions but she screwed it up in this one, she needed to know."

"Ohhhhh," Willow said. "I understand the need to know. I've often thought about what would happen if I hitched a ride on a portal or two; if I'd find myself with Kennedy, or Tara, or with anyone else for that fact."

Buffy nodded in understanding.

"I understood why she wanted to go, and I guess that's why I told her I'd go with her: I needed to know too. It's one thing if we had never seen it, but we had front row seats to the Buffy and Faith Grope Fest. If we're together in one dimension, it kinda makes you think about all the others. So, we went for it. Three dimensions, two positives on the Buffy/Faith front, one no-show, one dinosaur, and more monkeys than you could fit in a barrel," Buffy explained, then rested back in her chair awaiting Willow's reaction.

"Monkeys and dinosaurs?" Willow asked. At Buffy's nod, she said, "Oh my."

" 'Oh my' is right," Buffy said with a loud sigh. "I never saw us in the second dimension, but I heard us. There was . . . moaning involved."

"Moaning? Oh, moaning," Willow said as a brief blush crept over her cheeks. "I guess we can conclude that the other Buffy and Faith's are certainly feisty."

"I thought the same thing at first. Maybe it was just a sex thing. I mean, it's understandable, I guess," Buffy explained. "There's no doubt that Faith is pretty. . ."

"Hot," Willow finished Buffy's thought.

"Right," Buffy admitted shyly, also blushing a bit. "I thought that if we hung around a bit, we'd see Faith do her 'get some get gone' thing. But we stayed around after the feistiness and flirting in the third dimension, and . . . well . . . there was more to it."

"How so?" Willow asked gently, trying not to disturb Buffy's recollection of events.

Buffy smiled almost sadly as she answered,

"They were in love, Wills. So in love. They were just laying there on the couch together, holding each other. It's like they couldn't get close enough to one another."

"Aww," Willow cooed with a goofy smile.

"Yeah," Buffy said, looking down at her now lukewarm mug of coffee. "We both agreed then that it was enough. Too much. Whatever. So we came back home then, but not until after a visit with the other you -- who is also beaucoup with the witchy mojo, by the way. We couldn't exactly figure out how to come back to our own dimension, so we gave the other you a hypothetical situation."

"Ooh, I love hypotheticals," Willow said, still smiling.

"You told us that we needed to repeat our last intimate gesture, which was the kiss we shared. So, we went back to where we landed and . . . well, here we are," Buffy chuckled nervously.

"So there was more smoochage?"

"There was," Buffy said with a soft smile, remembering the soft feel of Faith's lips against her own. "But it didn't stop. We got back and we just kept kissing, and there were wows, but my head caught up with my body and I left."

"Just like that?" Willow asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yep, just like that. Faith told me I didn't have to go, but . . . more kissing would have led to 'things' that I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with yet."

A few moments of silenced passed between them as the waiter came and left their bill, hoping to clear them out so that he could get new customers. When he finally walked away, Willow was the first to speak again.

"Yet. There's a yet. Do you think you want there to be dealing, and more 'things' with Faith?"

Buffy sighed and put her head into her hands.

"I don't know, Wills. My mind is going a mile a minute. Faith and I are friends, you know? Great friends. We've never had that before, her and I. I know that I care about her. I know that seeing us together in the other dimensions didn't feel weird, and surprisingly, I didn't really feel wiggy when I saw it with my own eyes."

"So, could it be the B.G.S. then?" Willow asked.

"The Bee-Gees?" Buffy asked, confused.

"No, the B.G.S.," Willow chuckled. "Big Gay Stigma. You know; Big gay stigma, itty bitty Buffy. It can be overwhelming, I know from experience."

"No, that's not it at all. Hello, gay best friend, gay uncle. I practically march in the gay pride parade."

"I don't understand what the problem is then to be honest, Buff. If it's not weird and it feels almost natural to you, maybe you should talk to Faith about it." Willow said with a shrug.

"I know," Buffy said, running her hand through her ponytail. "She actually asked me out. I basically told her not right now."

Willow smiled knowingly.

"What are you waiting for then? It can't hurt to try."

"I also know that," Buffy said with a smile. "But the whole girl thing is completely new for me. I feel like I need to practice, or at least try it out before I decide to go on a date with Faith. I'm already comfortable with her, you know? So I might be so comfortable that I don't realize that I don't want to be with her in that way. Or I might be so comfortable that things go too good and I end up naked and tied to a bedpost while Faith posts pictures of my naughty bits on the internet."

"Oh Buffy," Willow laughed. "I don't think Faith knows how to use a computer. Besides, I doubt she'd leave you tied up for that long."

"That's comforting," Buffy said, trying to hide her smile.

They laughed together for a moment or two when Willow spoke again.

"So, what then . . . you want to go on a practice date? A practice date to see if you're into the ladies?"

"Maybe," Buffy said as she thought it over. "I _HAVE_ had bad luck with the men-folk in my life." She paused for a moment, then continued. "Hey, you're gay, Willow," she said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, yes I am," Willow said with an eyebrow raised. "I'm also with Kennedy in this dimension."

Buffy laughed, "I know that, silly. What I mean is . . . you're gay, you have to know gay people. Any chance you can give me the big gay hook-up?"

"The big gay hook-up? I don't know, Buffy, that's a tough one. Okay, how about this: that girl behind the counter has been eyeing you up like a piece of chocolate cake since you walked in here, she's definitely pinging my gaydar. And hey, if it goes badly, we'll just never come back to this café again. Problem solved."

Buffy raised an eyebrow at Willow before turning around to see what Willow was talking about. Sure enough, the girl at the counter smiled at Buffy and offered her a small wave. Buffy smiled awkwardly in return and waved back before turning to Willow again.

"She's blonde," Buffy said, disappointed.

"If you're looking for a brunette, I know one that's probably available," Willow replied with a shrug.

"Who?" Buffy asked.

"Goes by the name of Faith. Is probably raiding your cupboards for snacks as we speak."

Willow said, then held up her hands in surrender as Buffy offered her a slightly menacing glare. "Okay, okay, I give. No slaying of the best friend, please. The counter girl it is then. What's our next step?"

"I have a feeling this might not be my brightest and best of plans, but, Will . . ." Buffy took a deep breath and steeled herself, "would you talk to her for me? Make sure she's not evil or crazy?"

"Of course," Willow said with a goofy smile. She grabbed her nearly empty coffee mug and stood up, taking a quick walk to the counter to get a refill.

Buffy tried her best not to turn around and watch the interaction. Instead, she wanted to crawl under the table and hide. This was not how she had envisioned her dating/love life to go post-Sunnydale. She had expected dates. With men. Not sexual and emotional confusion over Faith as she got hooked up with the counter girl!

She was saved from her thoughts when Willow came back to the table and sat down bouncily.

"Her name is Maya. She's normal, and she was definitely making with the flirty gestures for you. She said she's free tonight and could pick you up at 6:00 if you'd like to go out with her. What do you think, Buffy?" Willow asked excitedly.

"I think . . ." Buffy began and turned to look at Maya, giving the girl a quick wave and nervous smile before turning back to Willow, ". . . you need to take me shopping for an outfit for my date tonight."

Willow smiled, then looked over Buffy's shoulder and gave Maya a nod.

"I feel like my little girl is all grown up," Willow joked as she stood up and pulled Buffy up by her arm, ready to prepare her for her big date.

* * *

It was nearly 5:00pm by the time Buffy got home from her afternoon with Willow. She was in desperate need of a shower, and she needed to be fresh and ready for when Maya stopped by to pick her up. 

She could explain things to Dawn tomorrow. For now, she would just say that she was going out with a new friend. Heck, dating girls could be easy if Buffy could pass them off as new friends.

Buffy's plan of evasion, however, hit a slight hitch when she walked into her living room with her shopping bags in hand to find Faith and Dawn feverishly playing a video game together.

"What's up, B?"

"Hey Buffy. Just in time. I'm about to show Faith how it's done the right way. Have a seat and prepared to be wowed by my gaming prowess," Dawn bragged.

"Yeah right, kid. Just wait til it's my turn, I'm gonna show ya who's on top," Faith replied as she tried to steal the controller out of Dawn's hand.

"Glad to see the two of you are having fun," Buffy said nervously. "I'd love to witness the smackdown, but . . . uhh, I have to hop in the shower."

"No probs, we're just getting started," Faith said as she gave up trying to steal the controller from Dawn and looked over to Buffy, giving her a once over. "Defo gonna say yes to the shower, but then get dressed and come hang with us. We've got a frozen pizza in the oven and the night's young. Besides, it's Kennedy's night for patrol."

Buffy tried to think of ways in which responding 'no thanks, I have plans' could possibly end the conversation, but she knew it wouldn't. There would be questions, there would be answers, and there would possibly be laughing and taunting.

"Actually, I have plans," Buffy said, earning an immediate look from both Faith and Dawn. She put one hand on her hip and scoffed. "I do have a life outside of the two of you, you know."

"Uh huh," Dawn and Faith said at the same time, turning their attention back to the game.

"What?" Buffy asked with a confused look on her face.

"Defensiveness. That means there's a date," Dawn said casually.

"How could you possibly know that? I think the two of you are scheming against me," Buffy said. "Well, I'm not falling for it. I'll check on your pizza, and then I'm getting ready for my total lack of date."

At that, she turned around and walked into the kitchen, grabbing an oven mitt from the magnetic hanger on the refrigerator. Faith entered the room not more than thirty seconds later, placing her empty Pepsi can in the sink before opening the refrigerator to get another.

"So . . ." Faith began as she closed the fridge and hopped up on the counter, taking a seat and making herself comfortable, "a date, huh?"

"No," Buffy answered, trying to avoid Faith's gaze. "It's just . . . an experiment of sorts."

"Experiment? Like chemistry?" Faith asked before taking a sip of her Pepsi.

"I guess you could call it chemistry," Buffy said, unable to hide the small smile that appeared on her face at her own subtle joke. "I can assure you, it's like no date I've ever been on before."

Buffy turned to face Faith then and instantly saw a glimmer of hurt behind Faith's normally unflinchingly cool façade. She didn't want to hurt the girl, and for some reason, she felt like she couldn't keep anything from her either.

"Lunch was eventful," Buffy continued. "Willow and I did some talking, about things, and people…"

"About me?" Faith interrupted, a small grin on her face.

"You may have had a cameo in the conversation," Buffy said with a smile. "Well . . . you know how the Buffy thought-train works; it's not exactly on an even track. One minute Willow was asking me about my feelings for you, and then next thing you know she's hooking me up on a date with the counter girl."

Faith immediately raised her eyebrows, not quite believing what she'd just heard.

"You're going on a date with a girl?"

"Yep, and she'll be here in," Buffy looked down at her watch, "just about an hour. I really need to do a thorough de-stinking and get prettified."

Faith hopped down from the counter and stood in front of Buffy, stopping her from leaving the room. She clearly looked a bit frustrated.

"I don't get it, B," she said, placing her can on the small table. "I get that the girl thing is new for you, really, I do. But yunno what? It's new for me too. After what we saw in the other dimensions, I didn't even think twice about askin you out, cos I said . . . fuck it, if it's not meant to happen, we'll know it. And shit . . . yeah, it's scary and stuff. I ain't about to go out with another chick though just so I can see if going out with you feels right."

"Well, I'm sorry," Buffy said defensively. "Pardon me for wanting to maybe do a little bit of research on the subject. It's new for me, and yes, it is scary too. What if we don't click, Faith? Do I have to lose you as a friend then because of the things we've seen in the other dimensions?"

"There's your problem right there," Faith said, relaxing a bit. "You're thinkin too much. Stop using your head, go with what your gut's telling ya. What's it telling ya, B?"

"It's telling me that that pizza smells really good," Buffy answered quickly, earning a laugh from Faith. "And maybe . . . maybe it's telling me that I'm being scared and trying to play it safe."

Faith smiled softly at Buffy's confession, happy that the girl was finally being honest with her feelings and not trying to overanalyze. She decided to put all her eggs in one basket and go for it again.

"So go out with me, B. It's a date, not a marriage proposal. I've never done the date thing so I might screw it all up, but I'll try to get it right. And hey . . . we're already friends here, yunno? If it's not meant to be, we'll deal."

"Yeah?" Buffy asked, biting on her lower lip nervously.

"Of course," Faith answered, smiling one of her most confident smiles. "So . . . what do ya say?" She reached out and tentatively took one of Buffy's hands in hers, trying to be as charming as possible. It wasn't difficult.

"I think," Buffy began and paused for a moment before finishing, "you've got less than an hour to coach Dawn with an excuse to give Maya when she shows up at the door and we're not here."

Buffy grinned and gave Faith's hand a little squeeze before slipping around the girl and making her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs to the bathroom.

Faith couldn't help but grin all happy in response. She was going out on a date with Buffy.

A date. With Buffy. The two of them on a date. Together.

It was all a bit surreal.

Turning on her heel, Faith walked back towards the living room.

"So?" Dawn asked, pausing the game to look up at a still-smiling Faith.

"You get to break the news to the first-date reject. I'm goin home to get ready. Gots me a hot date."

Dawn merely shook her head and rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to the TV. A moment later, she heard the front door close and she heard Buffy humming happily from upstairs in the shower.

"Faith Lehane. Making straight girls question their sexuality since 1998," Dawn grumbled under her breath.

**TBC**


	6. Chapter 6

** A/N:** Thanks so much to those who have read and sent feedback. I had this chapter all planned out, but I changed it around again and again right through the very last scene. Hopefully it's still enjoyable. :)

Also, here's a personal disclaimer: I don't live in Cleveland, nor have I had the chance to visit there in over 5 years. I tried to do research on the cool places there, but every site online claims to be  
"teh hawtness". I'm TOTALLY not responsible if I actually sent them on a really lame date. :p Creative liberties for the win.

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Buffy looked into the full length mirror for what felt like the hundredth time, giving herself one last once-over before deciding that she was indeed ready for her date with Faith.

Her date with _Faith_.

She said it again in her head, unable to stop the shy smile that appeared on her face every time that she repeated it.

How exactly had they come to the point where they agreed to actually go on a date? Together, with the dateyness.

Buffy shook her head almost wistfully as she played out the last six or so months in her mind. So much had happened. So many changes had been made, so much growing had been done. She and Faith had forged a close friendship, and now there was the possibility of there being something more. Something better.

Something written in the stars.

A laugh escaped her throat when Buffy realized how corny she was being.

Until the day before, she wasn't sure that she believed in destiny. She believed in people; in their drive and in their ability to change their lives if they were determined to do so. Buffy had changed her fate on several occasions. Faith had strived to change her life after she paid her penance. Willow was able to turn her life around after taking a dangerous path.

Yes, Buffy believed in people, and that they could sometimes surprise you and do good.

But after visiting the other dimensions, she had to admit that there was maybe something more than determined people. Maybe there was something out there, pulling strings and guiding events so meticulously that it goes by unnoticed.

Maybe that was why she had fallen into friendship with Faith so easily since they'd left Sunnydale. It was meant to be, perhaps.

Still, Buffy believed that her original thought – that people could change their 'destiny' with strength and determination – held true. She'd seen it firsthand.

Perhaps that was what had kept she and Faith from having a friendship – or more – years before. If she thought about it good and hard through all of her prior years of repression, maybe Buffy _had_ felt something for Faith back then. It was true; she had.

But Buffy wasn't ready to accept it then. Couldn't come to terms with the fact that maybe she was having feelings for Faith -- who was very much a girl and very much uninhibited – when she was busy trying to have a normal life. She'd just wanted to be your average everyday high school student. Being a slayer made her weird enough; dealing with the stigma of having the hots for another girl just wasn't something she was ready to accept.

So yes, she'd fought her feelings, put up her walls, and denied Faith her true feelings and any type of warm friendship that would have been offered to anyone else without hesitation.

She'd come close to losing her resolve on more than one occasion. When Faith drew that heart on the window of her chem. class, Buffy had felt her own heart constrict in her chest. Later that night they'd danced hand in hand at the Bronze, and Buffy knew that if Faith had made a move, her walls would've collapsed and she would have given in.

Cue Angel and his impeccable timing.

And of course, things had gone sour soon after that, which had made Buffy feel all the more justified in her decision to keep Faith at arm's length.

Yes, Buffy had regrets from her past. She wished that she could go back and make Faith a friend, save them from years of hate and heartache. But when they'd moved from Sunnydale, she and Faith made a conscious decision to leave it all behind them. The past was the past, and they were trying to build a future.

As the sound of the doorbell chimed downstairs, Buffy was pulled from her thoughts. She smoothed her hands over her sides one last time and opened up her bedroom door, ready to face the future.

For some reason, she couldn't keep a silly smile from creeping up on her face. The more she tried, the bigger the smile got. She put her hands to her face, urging her muscles to relax, hoping to god or whomever else was listening that Faith wouldn't pick on her for it.

Buffy slowly began to descend the stairs, anxious to see Faith standing there. Then something occurred to her; when did Faith ever use the doorbell? Hell, when did she ever even knock anymore?

She stopped dead in her tracks, wondering if it was too late to turn around and run back up the stairs. Instead, she found herself looking at an annoyed Dawn and a very confused Maya.

"Yep, there she is," Dawn said, shooting Buffy a death glare. "Obviously, the fever is getting to her." She walked over to Buffy, leaving Maya stood at the threshold to watch the spectacle. "You're sick, sis. Remember what Doctor Rosenberg said? Lots of sleep and no wandering around until you're better. Now get back up there, change that ridiculous outfit, and get into bed."

Dawn made sure to squeeze Buffy's arm extra tightly as she pretended to help turn her around and up the stairs. When they reached the top, Dawn grumbled a few choice words to Buffy about ten thousand favors before returning to the caring sister act and jaunting back down the stairs to Maya.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Maya asked, trying to peek over Dawn's shoulder up the stairs.

Dawn put her hand on Maya's shoulder and turned her around, leading her back out onto the front porch.

"I think that with some extra attention and a healthy dose of faith, she'll come through just fine," Dawn said with a big fake smile, beaming at her own subtle joke.

As they reached the front porch, Dawn nearly leapt out of her skin to find Faith stood there, locking the front door of her own apartment.

"Hi Faith, fancy meeting you here," Dawn said in a rush, nearly pushing Maya down the stairs.

"What's up, kiddo," Faith asked, taking a quick glance at Maya before looking back to Dawn. "Looks like you've got your hands full. Your sister ready?"

Dawn merely glared at Faith before throwing her arms up in the air in defeat.

"You people are unbelievable." She turned and walked back into the house, leaving the front door wide open. She mumbled under her breath, "Ask me to cover for your asses and then can't even play along. I'm the best sister EVER."

Faith simply arched an eyebrow before following Dawn into the house. She closed the door behind her, leaving an even more confused Maya stood there alone, wondering exactly what the hell had just happened.

Hearing the door finally close, Buffy cautiously descended the stairs yet again, passing Dawn who was on her way up.

"There will be favors owed, oh yes there will," Dawn grumbled as they passed by one another.

"Sorry Dawnie, I didn't realize . . ."

"Bah!" Dawn said, effectively cutting Buffy off. "And I meant what I said about the outfit!"

Buffy stopped yet again on the stairs, looking down at her outfit. Was it really that bad?

"What's wrong with my outfit?" she asked, not actually expecting an answer.

"Don't listen to her, B, you look great," Faith said, nervously shoving her hands into her pockets.

"Thanks," Buffy replied, the silly smile making yet another appearance on her face. "I wasn't sure what we were doing, so I kind of went for nice-casual. Is that . . .?"

"It's perfect, actually," Faith interrupted. "I thought we'd head on over to The Flats. Catch some grub down on the West Bank, then maybe hit up Old River Road on the East Bank for some good old-fashioned fun."

"Sounds good. I almost thought you were gonna pack me up and steal me away to Cedar Point again," Buffy said with a chuckle.

Cedar Point was a theme park that Dawn and Faith liked to go to on occasion. Sure, Buffy liked her share of roller coasters and spinny rides, but being there with Dawn and Faith made her feel more like a mother than she ever had in her whole life. There was something about Faith and Dawn eating Dipping Dots and Pizza, then going on The Magnum three times in a row to see who puked first that made Buffy think that maybe it wasn't so much a 'date' kind of place.

"Nah, figured we'd save that for the second date," Faith replied and winked.

Without any further hesitation, Faith held out her arm, an almost shy smile on her face. Buffy walked down the remaining two steps and approached her, offering her a genuine smile before hooking her arm through Faith's.

"Time to motorvate," Faith said, ushering them toward the front door. "We've gotta hit the road or we're gonna be late."

"Be late? There are official plans and times now? Wow, plus ten points for last-minute planning," Buffy joked, giving Faith's arm a gentle squeeze.

Faith merely smiled in response, happy with her own cleverness.

* * *

Whereas Buffy was once hesitant to hop on the back of Faith's motorcycle, she now looked forward to it whenever she got the chance. Maybe it was the wind blowing through her hair, or the way it felt like freedom. Hell, if she thought about it hard enough, maybe it was because she got to sit with her arms wrapped around Faith. 

Whatever it was, Buffy eagerly hopped onto the back of the bike and they sped off, making their way across town to their destination.

The Flats was a popular area on the Cuyahoga River, a frequent hotspot for the Cleveland population. There were restaurants, clubs, and all sorts of fun places to visit on both sides of the river. The West bank featured many more restaurants and mature places, whereas the East bank is where most of the younger crowd flocked to.

Buffy had long talked about how she wanted to check the area out. When they first arrived in Cleveland, Kennedy took Willow there on their first real date. Willow raved about the fancy Italian restaurant they went to, and about how Kennedy was so eager to take her to every fun place they could find.

Needless to say, Buffy had been waiting for the day that someone would offer to take her there on a 'real date'. Never did she think that person would be Faith, but as they made their way down the busy streets of the West bank, she was happy that it was.

She wondered exactly what Faith had been able to plan with their last minute decision to go on a date. There was no way that they were getting into any of the fancy places with such short notice; surely they wouldn't be taking reservations that late in the day. They would probably end up having burgers somewhere, which surprisingly didn't bother Buffy at all. She was just happy to be out, with Faith.

That didn't surprise her or make her feel weird for some reason.

When Faith pulled the motorcycle up to a lot and began to search for a parking space, Buffy's eyes nearly bugged out of her head.

"Why are we parking here?" she asked, her voice muffled by her fashion-challenged helmet.

"Cos it's close to the restaurant," Faith answered easily as she pulled into a spot and kicked the stand down. She pulled off her helmet and shook her head, letting her long dark hair spill freely over her shoulders.

Buffy took off her helmet at the same time and closed her eyes, basking in the sweet scent of Faith's hair. When she opened them again, Faith was stood next to her with an amused grin on her face, holding her hand out.

"Here? Are you serious, Faith?" Buffy asked, looking over Faith's shoulder to the fancy building behind them.

"Yup. You talked my ear off about this place on more than one occasion. Figured we should give it a go, check out the grub, the atmosphere, all that junk you like."

Buffy accepted Faith's hand and lifted off the bike, setting her helmet down on the seat.

"But this is Ponte Vecchio, Faith. It's expensive, and so difficult to get a table on the weekends, and in case you haven't noticed, it's Sunday," she said as she straightened out her slightly rumpled clothes.

"Yeah, but I made reservations earlier cos I really hoped you'd change your mind," Faith answered, smiling. "Glad you did too cos I'd kinda look like an idiot if I showed up alone."

"Still," Buffy said as she looked upon the beautiful building, "it's just expensive. We could go to Shooters if you want, there's no reason to spend . . ."

"You deserve it, B," Faith interrupted, making Buffy look at her. "Any random stud can take you to a burger joint, right? So I want this to be special, cos I've never done the dating thing and I wanna get it right. So yeah, let's go in there and have some overpriced spaghetti and meatballs, cos there's nothing more I wanna see than a smile on your face."

Buffy couldn't help but smile almost shyly at Faith's little explanation. It made her feel a little warm and fuzzy that Faith was willing to do something just to make her smile. Even more, Faith had remembered the exact name of the restaurant Buffy had been longing to go to. As far as Buffy was concerned, Faith had already nailed the first date and passed with flying colors.

Smiling, she held out her hand to Faith. Faith looked down at it for a moment before taking it softly in hers and giving it a little squeeze.

"I feel like I'm in second grade again," she said as they began to walk to the front entrance.

"Lucky for you," Buffy replied. "In second grade, I was known as the class kisser. Used to steal all the boys away and try to kiss them in the coat room. My teacher was always sending notes home with me. My mom was less than thrilled to find out that her little girl was making with the smoochies."

Faith laughed, a sound that Buffy learned to love in the short time they'd been friends.

"Looks like that goodnight kiss is a sure deal then, huh." She offered Buffy a small wink, making sure to let her know that she was kidding and that there was no pressure or expectations as far as first date intimacy went.

"We'll see about that," Buffy said with her own wink, stepping through the front door of the restaurant as the greeter held it open for them.

Faith smiled and followed Buffy into the restaurant, her hopes high despite the fact that she was trying not to build herself up for a letdown.

* * *

As expected, dinner was fabulous. From the appetizers, through the main course, right down to the dessert, Buffy and Faith left Ponte Vecchio feeling extremely satisfied. Even the wine selection was great, with the waiter recommending them something that was nice but not too pricey. Faith couldn't have cared less about the cost if she'd tried, but Buffy was anxious about their bill the entire time. She'd even offered to pay half, but Faith said that it was out of the question. 

They'd shared a piece of 'chocolate lasagna' for dessert, and they'd enjoyed it so much that they ordered two pieces to go. They figured that their slayer metabolism – if there even was such a thing – would burn up their dinner quickly, so they took the small guilty indulgence with them for later.

As they made their way back to Faith's motorcycle, Buffy couldn't help but make a happy 'mmmmmm' sound as she looked up to the sky and closed her eyes.

"What?" Faith asked, wondering why Buffy seemed so content.

"What?" Buffy repeated, questioning Faith's what. "I've got a belly full of the most delicious food I've ever had in my life, it's a beautiful night, and I'm so relaxed that I feel like I could fall asleep on your motorcycle, that's what."

Faith chuckled, "Am I boring you that much? Damn, I thought I had skills."

"Not bored at all, just relaxed, which I guess is pretty odd seeing as this is not only my first date with a girl, but my first date with you. And as far as first dates go, yes . . . you have skills," Buffy complimented Faith, which earned her a little grin.

"That's what I like to hear," Faith replied. "So, you're all tired and junk . . . did you wanna call it a night? We can always save the east bank for another night . . ."

"No," Buffy interrupted. "No home yet. I'm enjoying myself. But maybe we can save the East bank for when I'm feeling more party-like. That okay?"

"Of course," Faith answered. "So . . . what's the what then? We could check out some cafes or something, or, uh . . . I dunno. Guess I didn't plan too good past the whole dinner thing." She ran her hand through her hair, looking a bit nervous at their sudden lack of plans.

"How about we just take a walk?" Buffy suggested. "The sky is beautiful, the weather is cooperating, and we're on a river bank. I'd say it's a pretty perfect scenario as far as walks are concerned."

"A walk?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow at Buffy. "Yeah, we could do that. Yunno, so long as you don't go telling people that our date got all lame cos I made you walk around in your girly shoes."

"So long as you don't tell anyone that I dropped my salad fork on the floor and was so embarrassed that I had to eat with a spoon, we have a deal."

Faith held out her hand and Buffy shook it gently, then interlaced their fingers together as she started them off for a slow stroll along the riverbank.

They stayed quiet for quite some time, just taking in the sights and sounds as they walked hand-in-hand along the walkway. Unlike Buffy and Faith, most of the people in the area were too busy headed to their nighttime destinations to take a romantic stroll or even to take notice of the two girls as they walked along with small smiles on their faces.

At one point, Faith couldn't help but notice how nice it felt to do something as simple as hold Buffy's hand. Sure, she'd held it before. When they went out with Willow and Kennedy a couple of months back, Buffy got hammered and Faith had to hold her hand to keep her from wandering off or falling over.

But it was different now. Buffy's thumb was moving gently against Faith's, such a subtle yet intimate gesture. Faith hadn't realized that she had said that it was nice aloud until she heard Buffy answer back, "doesn't suck, right?"

They walked along the bank, stopping only when a boat with festive lights made it's way down the river, causing the girls to wander over to a protective railing to watch it. Again, they stood in silence as they watched it, finally letting go of one another's hand so they could stand with their elbows rested on the rail.

"So," Buffy began, cutting the silence, "ten words or less: what's your take on all this dimension stuff?"

Faith thought it over in her head for a few minutes, counting the words on her fingers until she finally answered, "It's been a crazy ride. Lookin forward to more, sexy."

Buffy laughed and playfully pushed her elbow against Faith's.

"How about you?" Faith asked, stealing a glance at Buffy.

"Ten words?"

Faith shrugged. "Sky's the limit. Go for it."

Buffy took her time to think it over for a few moments as well before finally figuring it out in her head.

"Do you remember what I said to you before we went to the first dimension?" she asked.

"Yeah, that you were gonna put a picture of my hot little ass on your Christmas cards," Faith answered with a grin.

"Before that," Buffy said and laughed.

Faith thought about it for a moment before answering, "You said that parallel dimensions gotta count for something."

"Right," Buffy replied. "And, I mean, they did count. Or, they do count. We can't just write off the things that we saw. All of those dimensions and we were together in some form or another in all of them. It really got me thinking about us. The us in this dimension."

"And?" Faith asked, looking over at Buffy again.

Buffy took that opportunity to look over at Faith as well, an almost shy look on her face.

"And I think maybe they had it right. I think maybe we _are _supposed to be together."

"Yeah, maybe," Faith shrugged. "But you shouldn't base your feelings on what you saw in some other dimension. Close your eyes, B."

Buffy narrowed her eyes at Faith for a brief moment before shaking her head slightly and closing them. Faith took that opportunity to move behind Buffy and wrap her arms around the girl, holding her close to her body as they stood facing the moonlit river.

"How do you feel right now?" Faith asked as she looked over Buffy's shoulder and at her face. When she saw Buffy's eyes flutter as if she was about to open them, she continued, "Keep 'em closed. How do you feel, Buffy?"

Buffy thought about it for several long moments, letting herself relax back into Faith's arms as she basked in the feel of soft breath against her neck.

"I feel safe. I feel . . . happy." She took that opportunity to open her eyes and looked over her shoulder, meeting Faith's penetrating brown eyes. "I feel right."

"Yeah, me too," Faith said quietly, wrapping her arms a bit tighter around Buffy's stomach as Buffy turned her attention back out to the boat on the river.

A few moments passed before Buffy's worries got the best of her.

"Are you scared about what happens if we're wrong?" she asked nervously. She felt rather than saw Faith shrug.

"You can spend your whole life worrying about the future and regretting the past, but it's not worth it. I think that all that really matters is the here and now," Faith explained easily.

"So, what do you want in the here and now?" Buffy asked, moving one of her hands over Faith's and rubbing it lightly.

"You mean besides that piece of chocolate lasagna that's stowed away in my bike?" Faith asked with a grin, reveling in the way Buffy felt when she chuckled against her. "I mostly wanna kiss you again, B. That's what I want in the here and now."

"And then?" Buffy asked, her final question.

"Haven't thought that far," Faith answered honestly.

"Oh."

Their conversation appeared to cease then, both girls deciding instead to focus on the ships and boats out on the water.

Just when Faith thought she'd ruined their date, she heard Buffy quietly say, "Go for it." She raised her eyebrow and stole a glance at Buffy's face to see if she'd heard her right. Buffy let go of Faith's hand long enough to turn around in the girl's arms so that they were now facing one another, still pressed closed together.

Faith dipped her head down just a little, waiting for one last go ahead. When Buffy nodded slightly, it was all the sign that Faith needed. She lowered her head the rest of the way, closing her eyes only when she felt Buffy's lips brushing softly over hers.

The kiss grew from a gentle caress to a much deeper kiss, still soft and slow but filled with need and years and years of finally letting go. Buffy slid her hands around the back of Faith's neck, earning a slight giggle from the girl that actually broke their kiss.

"Guess I found your ticklish spot," Buffy said, placing a small kiss on Faith's upper lip.

"Got a few of 'em," Faith replied as she ran her hands up and down Buffy's back. "Play your cards right and I'll show you where the rest are," she said and winked.

"I might just take you up on that some time," Buffy said, then turned around and faced the river again.

She snuggled back against Faith and they stood there watching the boats travel up and down the river for a while longer, neither of them wanting to upset the moment.

When they both realized that it was starting to get late and that Buffy had work the next day, be it Monday morning and all, they decided to call it a night and head for home. Buffy clung extra tightly to Faith as they rode back on the motorcycle, even daring to feel the girl up a little bit over her shirt. Hence the tight clinging, as Faith nearly drove them off the side of the road when Buffy did that.

When they finally arrived back at their house, Faith took Buffy's hand and helped her off the motorcycle and up the steps of the front porch. They paused there for a few moments, sharing several small kisses and a couple of revenge gropes on Faith's part. Buffy merely laughed and batted Faith's hands away, knowing fully well that she deserved it for their near crash.

Without too much more ado, Faith kissed Buffy one last time and stood and watched as Buffy walked into her side of the house, waving a bit before closing the door behind her. Faith walked into her own house, resting back against the door with a stupid smile on her face.

She couldn't believe that the night had gone so well. Not only was their first date a success, but she was pretty sure that there would be a second and third. It would be her first real relationship, but she was looking forward to the ups and even downs of it more than she could say.

It was Buffy. What more could be said? She was finally getting her second chance with the girl, and there wasn't a chance in hell that she was gonna screw it up.

Faith wandered through her apartment, taking off her restrictive date clothing and throwing on a pair of track pants and a Red Sox sweatshirt. She briefly considered sitting at her kitchen table and eating up the dessert that she'd brought home, but she decided instead to grab a beer and head out to the back porch.

No sooner than she sat down and situated the blanket around herself did she hear Buffy's back door open and see a pajama-clad Buffy step out onto the porch.

"There room for two under that blanket?" Buffy asked coyly, knowing fully well what the answer was.

"I dunno, B. I ate a lot of food tonight. Might only be room for rollie-pollie me now. Think you can squeeze in?" Faith asked as she moved back to the corner of the couch and rested one leg up on the wicker table, leaving room for Buffy to sit back against her.

Buffy smiled and walked over, carefully seating herself in front of Faith and resting back against her. Faith pulled the flannel blanket over the both of them, letting Buffy adjust it as needed. Their position was comfortable, but didn't leave much in the way of room to move around.

"I think we're gonna need a bigger boat," Buffy said playfully as she leaned fully back against Faith again, her head resting on the girl's shoulder.

"We could always go inside if you wanted . . ."

"No, it's okay," Buffy interrupted. "This is nice. Different, but nice."

Faith wrapped an arm around Buffy, her nose pressed against the top of her head so she could breathe in her scent.

"Defo with the different. Last time someone was this close to me, I had 'em in a chokehold." She paused for a moment before adding, "This is way better though."

"Mmm-hmm," Buffy mumbled, perfectly comfortable and relaxed.

Faith looked up to the clear night sky, wondering which of the millions of stars up there was her lucky star. No way did she ever think she'd end up where she was right then: with Buffy Summers snuggled up against her, trying her damnedest not to fall asleep.

Sleep did, however, claim Buffy after about twenty minutes or so. Faith briefly considered waking Buffy up or even carrying her up to bed, but she too was suddenly overcome with how tired she was.

Her last act was to kiss the top of Buffy's head, pull the blanket tighter around them and whisper, "Night, B" before succumbing to sleep as well.

**TBC**

...just one left to go...


	7. Chapter 7

**Note: **Just wanted to thank everyone who has reviewed and sent along their encouragement. You guys are kinda awesome, yunno that? Here's the last part, edited for content to meet rating requirements. If you're of legal age to read and enjoy it, the unedited version is up at my website. You can find the link on my profile page.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

The sound of birds chirping and local traffic passing by slowly roused Buffy from her sleep. She cracked her right eye open, then her left, gradually adjusting to the morning light.

Had she really slept through the entire night on the back porch with Faith?

When she felt the warm, lithe body behind her sleepily stretch and heard a husky yawn, she knew that yes, she had.

"Good morning," Buffy mumbled through the yawn she'd caught from Faith, taking a quick opportunity to stretch as well.

"Mornin," Faith answered, letting her arms wrap back around Buffy's midsection.

"I know it sounds clichéd, but I don't normally make it a habit of sleeping with people on the first date," Buffy joked, pulling the blanket back up around them.

"And I never really make it a habit to stick around til morning. Guess we're already breakin all kindsa rules," Faith joked, letting her right hand just barely slip under the bottom of Buffy's pajama top so that her thumb could rub lightly over her smooth skin.

"Mmm-hmm," Buffy mumbled sleepily again, closing her eyes and basking in the feel of Faith's thumb brushing softly over her skin. "Are you putting the moves on me?"

Both she and Faith laughed.

"Maybe. Thought crossed my mind once or a couple hundred times. And if I am?" Faith asked, stilling her hand.

Buffy smiled. She liked this; their whole flirty banter. It was fun, not awkward. Why should she feel suddenly shy?

She made a decision right then and there that there were no reasons to be coy or shy, or for anything to be stopping her from having what felt right, and what felt good.

With an innocent smile on her face, Buffy took Faith's hand in hers and ran if further up under her shirt, just shy of her breasts.

"Don't let little ol' me stop you," she replied as evenly as possibly, looking back at Faith over her shoulder. When Faith raised an eyebrow at her in question, Buffy just nodded her head a little and leaned back a bit more, waiting for Faith to close the distance.

Faith didn't disappoint, of course.

"Mornin breath be damned," she mumbled before pressing her lips softly to Buffy's, kissing and nipping them gently as her hand began to wander yet again.

Buffy arched into Faith's hand as it cupped gently over her breast, a small moan escaping her lips. Faith took that opportunity to kiss Buffy a little bit deeper, their tongues sliding slowly over one another.

It was a good thing that they didn't have neighbors that could peek into their back yard; they would certainly get an eyeful if the blanket hadn't been in its place.

Just when Buffy was pretty sure that she was going to burst from all of the new sensations she was experiencing, she heard Dawn calling her name from inside the house. Faith must've heard too, as she instantly pulled back from Buffy's lips and sat back a bit, though she kept her hands where they were under the blanket.

Buffy tried to swat Faith's hands away as they heard footsteps approaching the back door, but it was too late. Dawn opened the door and poked her head out, her face that of disgust when she saw the two slayers all wrapped up under the blanket.

"Oh yuck. Get a room, horn dogs," Dawn said as she stepped fully out onto the back porch, crossing her arms over her chest. "Wait, your room is next to mine. No getting a room. Get a tent or something. Anything that keeps your spontaneous grope fests far from my impressionable eyes."

Buffy scowled.

"You want an impression? I'll give you an impression. My foot, your butt. Questions?" she asked, her voice threatening yet playful at the same time.

"Yes, two actually," Dawn answered, her voice challenging. "First, were you planning on signing my permission slip so I can go on the class trip? Think about it; five blissful days without having to worry about me spoiling your inappropriate petting. Second, do you think that the office of child protective services takes complaints from the abused? Cos if I'm gonna have to put up with walking in on random acts of slayer lust, I'm definitely filing a complaint."

"Dawn, kitchen. Now," Buffy ordered as she sat forward a bit. "I'll be there in two minutes. And if you want that slip signed, you'll start the coffee pot."

Dawn scoffed and turned back into the house, though she didn't complain. So long as Buffy signed the slip, it meant she got to miss three days of school – and a weekend stuck at home -- to go on a class trip to Quebec. Surely that had to be worth at least a pot of coffee.

"My powers of persuasion are limitless," Buffy said victoriously as she leaned back against Faith.

"Yeah yeah," Faith mumbled, basking in the final moments they had together. "Just take it easy on the brat, she's a good kid. Besides, if she's going on the class trip, it means we have almost a week of alone time. Sounds kinda good to me."

Buffy turned and faced Faith, a smirk on her face.

"You're assuming that I'll want to spend all of that free time with you?" she asked playfully.

"Fuck yeah!" Faith answered. "In case you didn't notice, I'm wicked hot, B. You find me irresistible, and you wanna spend lotsa time with me. Naked time, too."

Buffy laughed, then smiled softly.

"Yeah, I do want to spend more time with you. But if I'm not in there in the next sixty seconds, Dawn may spontaneously combust. Not only would I have to rush to get ready for work then, but I'd also have to clean up the little bits and pieces of explodey-Dawn mess."

"And that's never fun," Faith commented.

"Never is," Buffy agreed, shaking her head. "But, umm . . . later maybe. I'll be home from work before dinner. Maybe we can hang out . . .?"

"Yeah, for a while, anyway. I've gotta be at work at eight cos there's a staff meeting before the club opens," Faith explained as she placed her hand on Buffy's side. "You could always play hooky though. Heard there's a nasty bug going around. Can't go to work all sick and stuff."

The look on Faith's face was challenging yet playful. She didn't actually expect Buffy to call in sick to work so they could spend more time together, but she wouldn't have been the least bit upset if she'd agreed to do so anyway.

"Are you trying to corrupt me?" Buffy asked as she stood up and stretched, earning a hungry gaze from Faith as her pajama shirt rode up a little and exposed her flat stomach.

"Depends. Is it working?" Faith asked before she stood and leaned in to give Buffy a quick peck on her lips.

"Not quite," Buffy replied, smiling almost sadly. "I'll see you later?" She leaned up and gave Faith one last chase kiss on the lips.

"Count on it," Faith said as she stood and watched Buffy go into the house, not taking her eyes off the girl the whole time. "Definitely count on it."

* * *

Buffy walked into the kitchen to see her sister pouring water into the coffee pot and easily making her way around the kitchen. She rested back against the kitchen door and just watched, a small smile on her face. There was no doubt about it . . . Dawn was growing into a young woman that Buffy really liked and was proud of.

"I'd ask about your date with Faith except I'm running late and I really think my ignorance on the subject will save me down the line from a heap of therapy bills," Dawn jibed.

Buffy's smile fell to a glare.

"Thanks, it went great," she replied sarcastically.

"Were you going to sign my permission slip or are we waiting for it to grow little pen arms and sign itself? Dawn asked with a smug grin, not bothering to look in Buffy's direction.

"I've seen weirder things happen," Buffy replied as she finally walked fully into the room and grabbed a pen, carelessly signing her name to the wrinkled sheet of paper. "So, pasta and salad for dinner? I'll be home after you, but I can . . ."

"None for me," Dawn interrupted as she breezed by, gathering her belongings that were scattered around the room and tossing them into her backpack. "Remember those favors you owe me? The favors that I rightfully earned when you roped me into that whole sordid affair last night?"

"I briefly recall the mention of a favor or two that may be owed for such services," Buffy said warily, waiting for Dawn to try to pull a quick one on her. "What about them?"

Dawn picked up her bottle of orange juice that was on the counter and took a quick sip before closing it tightly and tossing it into her bag.

"I'm calling one in. I know you're all 'grr, argh, no' about sleepovers and hanging out with friends late on school nights, but Becky and Julie are having a pizza-study-movie night and I'd say I've earned my right to attend, wouldn't you?"

Buffy thought about it for a moment, then lifted her arms up in defeat.

"You win, Dawnie, you . ." she began, then paused as she realized something. "You can go. But before you do, I need you to do me one more favor," she said, almost wincing as she awaited Dawn's response.

Dawn merely paused and put her hands on her hips, facing Buffy fully.

"Realize, of course, that your favor cancels out my favor, which means you'll owe me a whole new favor," she said with a satisfied smile.

"Fine, whatever," Buffy said, waving her hand dismissively. "I need you to call work and tell them I'm too sick to come in today."

"Riiiiight," Dawn replied, raising an eyebrow. "So first you make me lie to an innocent girl, and now you want me to lie to your boss. Smells like corruption of a minor to me. More favors may be needed."

"Okay, now you're pushing it," Buffy said with an annoyed glare.

Dawn realized she'd pushed as far as she could, so she merely backed down and began zipping up her backpack. She was happy with how much leeway she'd gotten. It was enough for one day.

"Just don't forget to call," Buffy reminded as Dawn slung the bag over her shoulder. She watched as Dawn grabbed her cell phone from the charger and shook it gently, then opened it and began to dial. "And behave!" she yelled as she watched Dawn retreat towards the front door, waving over her shoulder.

When she heard the front door slam shut, Buffy looked happily around the kitchen. It was her first day off in longer than she could remember.

Okay, maybe her last day had been three weeks and two days ago. But who was counting?

The fresh scent of percolating coffee filled the room, almost instantly perking Buffy up. She glanced over at the coffee pot and realized that there was more than she could ever drink . . . that was until she realized that she didn't intend on drinking it alone. Knowing that she had several minutes before the pot was full, she quickly made her way towards the bathroom, stripping her clothes off along the way.

Sleeping on the back porch was fun, but she felt like she was covered in morning dew.

Besides, she couldn't walk around smelling like she'd gone camping if she was supposed to be making a good impression on people, namely Faith.

She showered quicker than usual but made sure that she still smelt and felt perfectly clean. By the time she blow-dried her hair and got dressed, she made it back to the kitchen just in time to hear the timer on the coffee ring.

"Perfect timing, thank you very much," she said to no one in particular, grabbing two large mugs from the cupboard.

She poured the coffee into the mugs, making sure to leave room for cream and sugar. Or, in Faith's case, sugar and sugar. The grimace on her face as she added the usual six spoonfuls of sugar to Faith's mug was barely visible behind her glowing smile.

For a moment or two, she briefly pondered an attempt at making pancakes or French toast, but she figured that the only breakfast Faith would appreciate would be one that wasn't charred and burnt to a crisp.

Instead, she grabbed the two mugs by the handles and headed toward the back door, hoping that Faith hadn't gone back to sleep already. She was in the process of shifting the hot mugs in her hands so that she could open up the door when she heard a knock on it from the other side.

"Just me," she heard Faith say from behind the door.

"Come in," Buffy said as she awkwardly tried to shift the mugs back in her hands.

Faith opened the door and smiled as she watched Buffy fumbling with the hot mugs for a moment before stepping in and grabbing one from her.

"Careful there, killer. Can't send ya to work with third degree burns all over ya."

"Right, because they'd be able to tell the difference between the burns I get at home and the burns I get when I'm serving coffee there," Buffy joked as she ran a hand through her slightly mussed hair. "Doesn't matter, I'd have a day to heal anyhow."

Faith tilted her head to the side and looked Buffy over.

"Yep, definitely been corrupted. Going out on dates with hot chicks, calling in sick to work . . . I'd say my work here is done. Course, if you're the bad slayer now, we're gonna have to find something new to call me," she said as she pulled a chair back from the table and sat down, spooning even more sugar into her already sweet coffee.

Buffy sat down opposite her and merely shook her head in amusement as she watched Faith test-taste the now syrupy sweet coffee.

"Well, you can still be the bad slayer. This bug I've got? Well, I think you may be infected now that you're here. Might have to miss work tonight, stay home and let me take care of you," she said matter-of-factly before taking a sip of her coffee.

"I have no doubt in your miracle recovery or in your nursing skills, but as tempting as it sounds, you know there's no way that Dawnie's gonna let us hang out all day and all night long without giving you major shit," Faith replied with a grin.

Now it was Buffy's turn to grin.

"Actually," she began, drawing the word out as she played nervously with her coffee mug, "I owed Dawn a favor, so she's staying at Becky's tonight. Only one around to give me shit will be you."

Faith looked at her for a moment with her brows furrowed before a big shit-eating grin appeared on her face.

"Holy shit, I really did corrupt you!" she said and laughed. "It's okay, B, I know what this is all about."

"And what is it about?" Buffy asked with a raised eyebrow, trying not to laugh.

"You saw how super fly and smooth I was in those other dimensions, and now you want my booty."

"I want your booty?!" Buffy questioned Faith, now laughing fully.

"Damn straight you do. The other me was all up in your business in all those parallel dimensions and now you want a healthy dose of Faith in this dimension too. Hey, it's okay, I can handle it," Faith joked as she held up her arms in mock surrender. "Go ahead and manhandle me, B. Just make sure you buy me flowers or candy or something when it's all over, I'm fragile."

Buffy continued to laugh at Faith, wondering how the girl was able to get all of that out without cracking up laughing. After a moment or two, she stood up and closed the distance between them slowly, her amused smile turning into a much more seductive one as she neared Faith.

"Is this where the manhandling starts?" Faith asked sounding both excited and nervous, unsure of what Buffy was up to.

"You know what I really want, Faith?" Buffy asked as she bent down so that her face was only inches away from Faith's. "What I really _really_ want?"

Buffy licked her lips and Faith's breath hitched in her throat.

"What's that, B?" Faith asked, her eyes fixated on Buffy's slightly parted lips.

Buffy closed the last few inches of space between them and brushed her cheek against Faith's, then moved so that her lips brushed softly over Faith's ear as she whispered,

"I . . . want . . . . . . . breakfast."

Buffy stood up straight with a winning smile on her face and almost pranced away over to the cupboard, happy with the effect she'd had on Faith. Faith merely sat there, an almost feral look on her face as she watched Buffy's retreating backside as she crossed the room.

Buffy chuckled quietly to herself as she reached up into the cupboard and pulled out a box of Bisquick. She wasn't kidding about the breakfast. Besides, it was fun riling up Faith, especially now that they were . . . now that they were . . . Buffy tilted her head to the side as she pondered exactly what they were now.

Were they dating? Girlfriends? Or still in the 'getting to know you' phase? Honestly, they'd known each other for years now, and had been getting closer for months. She almost felt like she knew what she needed to know and that she was ready for more.

Before Buffy could turn around to face Faith at the table again, she felt a warm body press against her from behind.

"Pancakes," she said, holding the box in her hands for Faith to see.

Faith simply wrapped her arms around Buffy from behind, but not before taking the box of pancake mix from her hands and putting it back in the cupboard.

"You honestly think I'm thinking about breakfast after you tease me like that?" Faith asked as she brought one hand up and brushed Buffy's hair away from her shoulder so she could place a series of small, wet kisses on it.

"You . . .mmh," Buffy moaned softly as Faith's lips teased her skin, "you love pancakes. Any kind of food, actually."

"Never said I didn't feel like eating. I could defo eat, alright," Faith purred as she kissed her way from Buffy's shoulder to the column of her neck.

"Eating what?" Buffy asked, her body trembling slightly in anticipation.

"You," Faith replied easily, and Buffy felt her smile against her skin. "All this talk about parallels, B?"

"Uh-huh," Buffy said breathlessly, unconsciously turning in Faith's arms and tilting her head back so that Faith could continue kissing her neck.

"It's kinda making me wanna get parallel with you."

"I think you mean horizontal," Buffy breathed out, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, that too," Faith said as she kissed her way up Buffy's neck and over her jaw. She peppered small kisses over Buffy's jaw and chin, right to the corner of her mouth before stopping. Waiting. Holding out for the green light, something to let her know that she wasn't alone in her thoughts and desires.

Buffy didn't say anything. Instead, she ran her fingers through Faith's hair and let them rest on the back of her head, drawing her slowly in for a slow, deep kiss. Faith took her time exploring Buffy's mouth, learning every dip and curve and memorizing each way her tongue made Buffy moan and sigh.

Faith was pretty surprised with how much restraint she was showing. She wanted Buffy in a bad way, but she also wanted to take the time to get to know her body and to worship her in every way that felt good. She was pretty sure it could take her a lifetime or two to discover it all, so she was more than happy to take her time and enjoy the ride.

Buffy deserved it, after all.

When hands started to wander and the kissing was no longer enough, they began a clumsy but fun backward walk through the house, trying their best not to knock anything from the walls or go crashing through any furniture. Faith clearly had the upper hand, but Buffy was giving her a run for her money. It wasn't that she planned on being all dom, but she'd always assumed that Buffy would be the one to be taken rather than being the taker.

Either way it went, she liked the direction they were headed in. That direction was actually on hold, however, as they reached the bottom of the stairs and neither girl was willing to let go long enough to make it up them safely.

"We're gonna have to stop for a second," Buffy mumbled against Faith's lips, though the way her arms clung around Faith's neck showed that it might be easier said than done.

Faith had other ideas though. Now that she had Buffy all wrapped up around her, she wasn't about to let go. Quicker than Buffy could protest, Faith slid her hands down Buffy's back, over her ass, and under her thighs, lifting her up in a smooth motion.

Buffy squealed into Faith's mouth as she wrapped her legs around her back.

"Unexpected," she breathed out as Faith began to climb the stairs.

"I'm all about shock value," Faith mumbled against Buffy's lips as she began kissing her again. They reached the top of the stairs and instead of putting her down, Faith continued carrying Buffy towards her bedroom. She tried her best to open the door, but with both hands holding Buffy up, she fumbled around for a few seconds.

"So, should I get used to this? Riding you? . . . oh my god, I really just said that, didn't I?" Buffy asked as Faith finally got the door open.

Faith merely laughed in response, almost losing her grip on Buffy. She just about made it to the bed before they collapsed on it, both girls laughing. Faith moved so that she was hovering above Buffy, their bodies not quite touching.

"You can ride me all you like. Totally not gonna stop ya on that one," Faith laughed and smirked down at Buffy. "Course, you should get used to me riding you too, cos I'm all about equal opportunity."

"And how exactly would that go?" Buffy asked coyly, her hands sneaking under the back of Faith's shirt to caress her back.

"It would start a little bit like that," Faith said as she shrugged a shoulder back to indicate Buffy's roaming hands.

"Ahh, I see. You may have to talk me through it, coach," Buffy responded, her voice a bit lower and sexier now.

"See, I was thinkin that we could just go with the flow. I show you the moves, you copy 'em. If all goes right, we both score. No losers in the game the way I play it."

"Uh huh," Buffy mumbled before they kissed softly again, her hands more bold as they slowly began to tug Faith's shirt up and eventually over her head.

"You taking the lead, B?" Faith asked with a teasing grin, sitting up a bit so that Buffy could finish taking her shirt off.

"Nope, just lending a helping hand. Speaking of which . . ." Buffy trailed off as she let her eyes roam over Faith, taking in the sight of her now naked breasts. With a smile, she brought her hands together in a slow and steady clap. ". . . very nice," she finished appreciatively.

"Not bad, right?"

"Definitely not complaining."

"Better not be," Faith joked as she encouraged Buffy to sit up a bit so that she could help take her shirt and bra off as well. As the offending articles of clothing were tossed haphazardly across the room, Faith let out a long whistle as she let her eyes roam over Buffy.

Buffy held her breath, waiting for Faith to say something typically Faith-like. Faith didn't say anything, however. Instead, she leaned in and kissed Buffy, gently pressing her back on the bed again. She let her hands roam over Buffy's stomach, caressing it gently as her fingers worked lower and lower to the top of her pants.

Faith was sure of what she wanted; hell, she'd wanted it for a long time now. Buffy seemed to want the same thing, but Faith wanted to be sure. Needed to be sure.

She placed a few, soft kisses on Buffy's lips and corners of her mouth before pulling back a little, looking into Buffy's eyes.

Buffy smiled shyly at her before bringing her hand up and cupping Faith's face with it. She traced her thumb over Faith's full lips, staring at them as they curved into a soft smile and kissed her thumb gently. She didn't want to stop. Didn't want to wait. She felt like she'd been waiting for years . . . that she'd always wanted Faith but suppressed it.

She finally was going to take what she wanted. What she finally was able to admit that she'd always wanted.

Sliding her hand from Faith's cheek around the back of her neck, she drew her in and kissed her again, positive that she'd never get tired of the soft feel of Faith's lips gliding against her own.

Faith, sure that Buffy was on the same page as her, flicked open the button on Buffy's pants and slowly slid the zipper down, enjoying every moment of it.

Buffy lifted up a bit so that Faith could pull her pants down easier and was a bit surprised to feel her panties sliding down along with her pants. "That okay?" she heard Faith ask, and realized that Faith was staring at her now blushing face.

"Yeah," Buffy replied. "Feeling a little bit, or well, a lot naked here."

Faith chuckled as she finished pulling Buffy's pants and panties down, trying her damnedest not to ogle Buffy's goodies.

"I have a plan. How 'bout I get all naked too, then you can feel . . . well, you'll still feel naked, but at least you won't be the only one," she said as she stood up from the bed. In a quick movement, she had her pants pulled off and flung across the room to join Buffy's.

No panties, Buffy noticed. She smiled and looked over Faith's gorgeous body approvingly before holding up her hand and beckoning her forward with her finger. Faith happily obliged, crawling onto the bed and making her way towards Buffy.

She slid up Buffy's body, delighting in the delicious friction of their skin rubbing together. When they were finally face to face, she was surprised and more than turned on when Buffy flipped her over so that Buffy was the one on top now.

"Totally knew you were going all dom on me earlier," Faith said, arching up as Buffy took one of her nipples into her mouth. "You're Buffy; you're always the one in charge, huh."

"Maybe I'm just observing one of the lessons I've learned from you over the years," Buffy said as she began to kiss down Faith's stomach, taking time to kiss and swirl her tongue around Faith's sensitive bellybutton.

"Pretty sure I never taught you how to go down on a chick, B," Faith joked, her breath hitching in her throat as she felt Buffy moving her thighs apart.

"That you didn't," Buffy replied, her lips curving up into a mischievous smile. "They have books for that, you know. Willow has a copy. Guess she never realized that it's been missing for a while now."

"Kinky," Faith said with a shudder as she felt Buffy's warm breath on her most intimate of places. "So, what lesson are we talking about then?"

"One of the first things you ever taught me," Buffy began as she settled between Faith's legs. "Want," she kissed Faith's left thigh, "Take," she kissed her other thigh, and then looked up to Faith's face before finishing, "Have."

EDITED FOR CONTENT.

And when she felt Faith closing her thighs and pulling her up the bed by her hand, Buffy happily obliged, crawling up and laying atop Faith's heated and slightly damp body.

"Goddamn," Faith said, out of breath. "I'm sending the chick that wrote that book a big ol' thank you card and a fruit basket or something. Soon as I can form a solid thought, that is."

"I'm betting she's probably gotten lots of thanks over the years."

"No doubt. Holy shit, B. I . . . yeah, that's all I've got. Holy shit sums it up pretty good."

"Has the impossible happened? Is Miss Faith Lehane finally speechless?" Buffy teased as she kissed softly along Faith's neck.

"Yep, speechless," Faith said. "Good thing I know other ways of communication."

And before Buffy could ask what they were, she felt herself being flipped as she had previously flipped Faith over. She looked up to see Faith lying above her with a sexy grin on her face.

"See, I'm an expert on body language, B. I can tell that your body wants me to fuck you. And my body? Pretty good at reading it too. Turns out, it wants the exact same thing."

"Lucky for us," Buffy breathed, letting her hands roam over Faith's back.

"Was thinkin' the same thing."

Faith leaned down and captured Buffy's lips again, kissing her deeper and more forcefully now, though still as soft as before. She sneaked one of her hands between their bodies and found one of Buffy's erect nipples, teasing it gently between her fingertips.

Buffy pressed her body up against Faith's, trying to get as much contact as she could. She knew that she was wet for Faith, and she knew that with the way that Faith was pressed against her, there was no doubt that the girl could feel it. When she felt Faith's hand slide down her stomach and come to rest between her legs, she couldn't help but shiver in anticipation.

EDITED FOR CONTENT.

"Fuck the fruit basket," Buffy panted. "We're buying that chick a pony. A castle. Anything she wants."

Faith simply chuckled and rolled so that she was on her side, facing Buffy.

They lay basking for a while, Faith tracing her fingertip up and down Buffy's side, delighting in the way Buffy giggled every time her fingers reached a certain spot.

"Never knew you were so ticklish, B."

"There's a lot you don't know about me," Buffy replied easily.

"Oh yeah?" Faith asked, amused. "Like what?"

"Like . . ." Buffy began and paused, thinking things over in her mind, ". . . I went to get a tattoo once, but I chickened out when I saw that the guy giving me the tattoo had the word 'Freedom' misspelled on his right forearm."

Faith laughed, "What else?"

"Umm . . . I have nervous habits. Sometimes I strum my fingers or play with the hem of my shirt, and every now and then I untie and re-tie my shoes, just to make sure they won't come undone at an inopportune time."

"I don't have that problem, my boots don't have laces," Faith joked. She put her hand on Buffy's lower back and pulled her closer, looking deep into her eyes. "Anything else?" she asked.

Buffy tentatively reached out and ran her fingers through Faith's tussled hair, loving how soft it felt between her fingers.

"Yeah," she answered softly. "I can see myself falling for you. Really falling for you. And I'm not afraid of it anymore."

Faith couldn't help but smile at Buffy's honest confession.

"It's cos I have a great rack, right?" she joked, putting a bit of space between them so she could look down proudly at her chest.

"And an ass that won't quit," Buffy replied with a grin, taking the opportunity to slide her hand over Faith's hip and squeeze her firm little ass.

"Buffy," Faith began, a big smile on her face, "I think we're in luck here, cos I'm feeling the same way about you. On all accounts."

"Yeah?" Buffy asked, smiling almost shyly.

"Yep," Faith nodded. "Specially the part about the ass. Seriously B, I could bounce a quarter off that thing."

Now it was Faith's turn to squeeze Buffy's ass. Buffy merely yelped, then laughed and snuggled in closer against Faith's body.

"I think we're onto what could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship," Buffy said, closing her eyes. "It's not every day that two people with near perfect asses find each other. That's gotta count for something."

"Yeah," Faith said, resting her head down on the pillow so that she could watch Buffy rest. "Definitely counts for something."

* * *

**Epilogue**

_Ten months later . . . . . _

"Baby, where are my panties?" Buffy asked as she lifted up the blankets on Faith's bed, trying to find her vanishing pair of underwear.

"How the hell would I know?" Faith asked as she lay under the blankets, not budging and inch. "Last thing I know, I was tearin' them off and tossin 'em."

"Not another pair," Buffy said, pretending to be upset. When she saw the fake pout that Faith was wearing, she couldn't keep up her act for long. "You're sexing me out of all my underwear!" she said as she jumped onto the bed and under the covers with Faith.

"Hey, I never hear you complain while I'm doin' it."

"That's because my mouth is usually otherwise occupied."

"Damn straight it is," Faith said with a grin as she leaned in to kiss Buffy. She was stopped, however, by a hand on her chest.

"I'd love to, but I have to go home and get more panties. Unlike you, dirty girl, I can't go to work commando. It makes me feel icky."

"So you should start keeping some panties here then," Faith said with a shrug.

"I guess I could do that," Buffy answered.

"You could bring over some other stuff too if you wanted, yunno," Faith hinted.

"Like what?" Buffy asked, her eyebrows furrowed.

"Like . . . all your clothes and girly shit. Load it on up and bring it on over."

Buffy cocked her head to the side, trying to read Faith's facial expression.

"Are you saying that you want me to move my stuff over here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Faith answered, looking into Buffy's eyes. "Was kinda thinking maybe you'd wanna move here with them. Would be kinda stupid to have all your shit here and not you. I'd end up sleeping with your shirts. It'd be pathetic."

"Really? You really want us to move in together?" Buffy asked, wanting to be perfectly clear of Faith's intentions.

"Yeah," Faith replied easily. "You spend all your time here anyway, and . . . I dunno. I love ya, B. I want you all to myself."

Buffy smiled and leaned in to give Faith a soft kiss.

"I love you too. And I think it's a good suggestion. I'll have to talk it over with Dawnie, but . . ."

"No need, I already talked to her about it," Faith interrupted. "Kid is 17 years old, almost all growed up. She can stay in your apartment and we'll stay here. It's not like we're far. We're literally a wall away. She gets in trouble, we'll know it. Slayer hearing, B. Gotta love it."

"I love the slayer hearing. Not sure I love the idea of my baby sis living all on her own, but . . . I guess I'll talk to her about it and set things straight. Make sure she knows that just because I'm not there doesn't mean I won't bust through a wall to kick her butt."

"So . . .?" Faith asked, waiting for a final answer form Buffy.

"So . . . yeah. Let's do it. Let's move in together."

Faith grinned all big, pulling Buffy close to her.

"Well damn, B. I'd say this is cause for celebration."

"What did you have in mind?" Buffy asked, wrapping an arm around Faith's back.

"Oh, I think we could . . ." Faith began, but was interrupted by a bright white light that flashed through the room, followed by the sound of boots clunking on the floor. "What the fuck?" she asked, shielding her eyes from the bright light. As the light faded, a look of terror crossed Faith's face. "You," she yelled out, surprised.

Buffy looked across the room to see another Faith stood there, chest heaving and eyes wild. It was the Faith from the other dimension. The one where they had run into their other selves and were spontaneously groped.

"You!" the other Faith shouted back, pointing wildly at Faith on the bed. "You're the one that groped my girl and thinks you can get away with it!"

"What?!" Faith yelled in disbelief. "Your girl groped me. And hey . . . you groped my girl!" Faith said, indicating Buffy next to her.

The other Faith looked over to Buffy and smiled sexily, giving her a wink.

"What's up, sexy?" she asked.

"Hey," Buffy answered with a shy smile.

"B!" Faith yelled in disbelief, pinching Buffy's arm.

"What?" Buffy asked excitedly, looking at her girlfriend. "She's you. And if you guys are going to fight over me – and the other me – I simply request that there be some kind of oil involved."

"Hey!" Both Faith's yelled at the same time. That's when they both remembered about the other.

Faith stood up on the bed, in all of her naked glory, and looked down at the other Faith.

"I'm gonna kick your ass good!" she yelled, eyes wild now too.

"Bring it on," the other Faith yelled, just before they lunged at each other and landed in a heap on the floor.

A string of obscenities was heard across the room as the two Faith's tried to get the upper hand with one another, but found they were deadlocked as they knew all of one another's moves.

Buffy just sat on the bed looking down at them, partly concerned, partly amused, but mostly turned on. She was about to comment about her upsetting lack of popcorn for the show when yet another white light flashed through the room.

When Buffy's eyes finally adjusted, she looked up to see her other self stood there, looking at her with wild eyes.

"You!" the other Buffy said, pointing at Buffy.

". . . oh shit."

**The End.**


End file.
